In the 2024 season, Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football team will face a familiar opponent when they go up against one of their main rivals.
Former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has transferred to Florida State, where he will be the Seminoles’ starting quarterback. Uiagalelei, who spent three years as a starter for the Tigers, will now be leading the charge for an ACC rival. A move like this would be wild back in the day, but this is modern college football.
Recently, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell shared high praise for his new starting quarterback, calling him the ‘total package.’
“I think DJ is the total package,” Norvell said. “You see an elite level talent, skill. Obviously the size. And really he has a lot of great experience. And that experience, some of it’s been really good, some of it’s been challenges that he’s had to overcome and work through but I think when you bring all of that to the person, it starts with him, with his heart. Just a great person, great in the locker room. The guys in that quarterback room, they’re all competing with and for each other. They love him and what he brings and it’s really been fun watching those relationships emerge.”
It’s honestly tough to say how much of this is coach talk, but there is some clear coach talk here. We’ve seen a large sample size of Uiagalelei at this point, and from what I’ve personally seen, he’s by no means the total package. I’m not saying this to hate on Uiagalelei, as I do think he’s a better quarterback than some make him out to be; calling him the total package is a wild statement.
Uiagalelei has a great opportunity to prove me wrong in 2024, however, with a wide-open ACC and headlining a near-consensus team considered the best in the conference.