Big news in the transfer portal on a Friday night before Christmas: D.J. Uiagalelei, the talented but struggling Clemson quarterback who transferred out of Dabo Swinney’s program in search of a new home, is reportedly going to transfer to Oregon State. The move isn’t final, but it is supposed to be announced soon.
This is a fascinating development in addition to being a very important one. It is well known that Oregon State was hurt in 2022 by its limitations at quarterback. If the Beavers had a high-level passer, they might have been able to beat USC and make the Pac-12 Championship Game. They lost to eventual Pac-12 champion Utah, 10-win Washington, and USC, the Pac-12 runner-up. If head coach Jonathan Smith can get an elite quarterback, the Beavers could take off, because they have the other pieces they need, especially in the trenches.
Now comes the news that Uiagalelei could be their guy under center in 2023. It’s quite fascinating.
Sources: Former Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is expected to commit to Oregon State. An announcement is expected in the upcoming days.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 24, 2022
Uiagalelei transferred because Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik played brilliantly in relief of Uiagalelei in the ACC Championship Game. Klubnik, a freshman, wasn’t ready to displace Uiagalelei at the start of the season, but he looked like a high-level quarterback in December against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Uiagalelei could see that Klubnik had taken over the job.
Uiagalelei had his moments with Clemson, both this season (against Wake Forest in an overtime victory) and in the 2020 season when he briefly relieved Trevor Lawrence. He struggled profoundly in 2021 and had some rocky moments in 2022. Clemson didn’t make the College Football Playoff in two years with him as the starting quarterback for most of the season.
Jonathan Smith is making the bet that he can fix Uiagalelei’s mechanics, restore his confidence, and make him into a fully-realized quarterback. The outcome of the bet will have a significant role in shaping the outcome of the 2023 Pac-12 football season.
We’ll definitely have more on this story over the weekend at Trojans Wire.
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