Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program will take on a familiar face in the 2024 season when they play against one of their top rivals.
Former Clemson and Oregon State starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei transferred to Florida State this offseason, becoming the Seminoles’ new starting quarterback. From a three-year start for the Tigers to the Seminoles starter under center, things can change fast in modern college football.
Uiagalelei met with the media recently, his first time since joining the Florida State football program. During this time, he touched on what facing the Tigers will feel like.
“I think yeah [it will be weird], because that’s somewhere I played at,” the former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback said. “That was my first place I played at. That’s the place I graduated from. A lot of my friends are still on the team, a lot of the coaches I still know, and I still have a lot of love for Clemson, and they did nothing but—it was an amazing time I had at Clemson.
“Granted, my journey ended up taking me somewhere else, but I loved my time at Clemson. Coach Swinney is an amazing coach. All the guys there were great. Every single staff member there was great, and I loved it. I graduated. My best friends still play there. I still talk to them to this day. Like, my brothers are still on that team. When that time comes, it’ll definitely be different.”
Leading Oregon State to an 8-4 season in 2023, Uiagalelei completed 180 of 315 passes for 2,638 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. During his career at Clemson, from 2020-22, he completed 515-of-861 passes (59.8 percent) for 5,681 yards with 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 1,913 snaps over 36 games (28 starts).