Tag: D.J. Uiagalelei

The football world is done with D.J. Uiagalelei as an NFL prospect

The football world is done with Florida State QB D.J. Uiagalelei as an NFL prospect after a terrible start to 2024

D.J. Uiagalelei transferred from Oregon State to Florida State in hopes of augmenting his chances to get selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The well-traveled quarterback, who began his career at Clemson, is not off to a good start in that quest.

After a shaky opener in Florida State’s opening loss to Georgia Tech, the bottom really fell out for Uiagalelei in the Seminoles matchup with Boston College on Labor Day night. His first half against the Eagles was one for the ages, namely the Dark Ages.

Uiagalelei finished the half 8-of-21, with at least seven of the incompletions the result of badly off-target throws. That has been an ongoing issue throughout his lengthy college career, but Uiagalelei struggling so badly on the national stage really captivated the college football and NFL draft communities for all the wrong reasons.

The social media reaction to Uiagalelei’s very bad night, on top of his bad game in Ireland a week earlier, was very on target.

 

https://twitter.com/PregameEmpire/status/1830773694777401756

Safe to say the 23-year-old Uiagalelei won’t be appearing in any more early-round mock drafts anytime soon. In the process of producing this piece, Uiagalelei threw an interception that set up Boston College for a short touchdown.

D.J. Uiagalelei draft stock sputters in Florida State’s loss to Georgia Tech

Highly-touted transfer QB D.J. Uiagalelei’s draft stock sputters in Florida State’s loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland

D.J. Uiagalelei took over as the quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles with some hope that he could quickly establish himself as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for the well-traveled Uiagalelei, his performance in the Seminoles loss to Georgia Tech in Week 0 showed he’s got a very large hill to climb.

Uiagalelei completed 19 of his 27 passes against Georgia Tech, but he posted just 193 yards. Facing some consistent pressure from the Yellow Jackets defense, Uiagalelei almost exclusively checked down and worked the short margins until late in the game. His yardage was boosted by some nice YAC work by RBs Lawrance Toafili and Roydell Williams on a great screen play up the left sideline, but the stats show Uiagalelei had a net negative air yards per attempt in the first half.

Two impressive fourth-down conversions helped boost up “DJU’s” stock a little, showing some strong-armed accuracy and some ability to move around in the pocket to get a throwing angle. But overall, this was not the showing Uiagalelei or Florida State wanted in his third collegiate stop. His Georgia Tech counterpart, former Texas A&M QB Haynes King, looked like a better NFL prospect in the game in Ireland.

[lawrence-related id=654884]

Where does Jackson Arnold rank in early 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel?

Jackson Arnold is already getting some preseason Heisman buzz before his first year as a starter.

If you think [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] is going to win the [autotag]Heisman[/autotag] in 2024, now is the time to bet on it. You probably won’t see the odds this low again if he has the season you think he’s going to have.

Arnold is heading into his first year as the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. The sophomore quarterback showed flashes in games last year. Even though his bowl game was soured with all of the turnovers, he showed in that game why people are so high on him and his ability.

He’s definitely got all of the makings to be Oklahoma’s next great quarterback and Heisman contender. Arnold’s going to have plenty of opportunities to show out against several high-quality opponents.

So where does Arnold land in 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel Sportsbook? Let’s take a look at the early contenders.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3006″ ] Fan Duel

2024 NFL Draft: Top QB Performances from week 6

Week six had some excellent performances from quarterback prospects

Week six of college football was another insane week of football that was chock full of impressive performances from 2024 quarterback prospects.

There were some confirmations of some players, but there was also a few players that shined and earned themselves a spot on this list. Including a couple of names that have not been on this list before.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top performers from week six of the college football season.

DJ Uiagalelei opens up about Oregon State transfer decision

“I wanted to go somewhere where they’re going to let me be who I am as a player”

When Trevor Lawrence suffered an injury during the 2020 season, we saw another five-star quarterback step up to lead the Clemson Tigers in his absence.

Against the Boston College Eagles and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Uiagalelei looked the part of the next top signal-caller to suit up for head coach Dabo Swinney. He completed 69 of 85 passes (81.2%) for 781 yards and 4 touchdowns. Uiagalelei added two more rushing touchdowns in that span.

However, in 2021 we saw the growing pains of a young quarterback, who finished with less than 60% of his passes being completed and he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. The following season was much better from a production standpoint but his struggles opened the door for five-star freshman Cade Klubnik to take over.

When the transfer portal’s first window opened on Dec. 5, Uiagalelei entered his name and committed to the [autotag]Oregon State Beavers[/autotag] by mid December. The former five-star signee from the 2020 class recently opened up about his decision to leave Clemson for the West Coast.

“I wanted to go somewhere where the scheme is going to fit me,” Uiagalelei said. “I wanted to go somewhere where they’re going to let me be who I am as a player, let me play free, and let me go out there and just cut it loose. Just somewhere where I can do what I wanted to do.”

The Beavers started Ben Gulbranson at quarterback last season but the numbers were pretty pedestrian. Still they were able to win 10 games, including a bowl victory over the Florida Gators. Most projections have Gulbranson backing up Uiagalelei this coming season.

It will be worth watching Oregon State this coming season to see if the change of scenery helped out Uiagalelei.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=90]

[mm-video type=video id=01gpcs42qt4mn3z9c1y5 playlist_id=01gq2fszf7mxxc88k4 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gpcs42qt4mn3z9c1y5/01gpcs42qt4mn3z9c1y5-6ff62b4456b24e20f929aa42757bd5d9.jpg]

15 reasons why Eagles GM will look to trade a 2023 first-round pick for more draft assets in 2024

Philadelphia is always looking to acquire impact players and we’re looking at fifteen 2024 NFL Draft prospects that could entice Eagles GM Howie Roseman to trade a 2023 first-round pick

During the 2021 NFL offseason, Howie Roseman was able to trade Carson Wentz and land a pre-draft deal with the Dolphins, resulting in three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

That helped spawn a potential Super Bowl run this season.

The Eagles are technically still in the midst of a rebuild and although they made the postseason two years in a row, roster uncertainty thanks to 2023 free agency could allow pushing the retool into 2024 as well.

Even with the postseason in full swing, it is never too early for a look ahead to the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts scenarios.

Thanks to some draft night wizardry from Howie Roseman, the Eagles traded the No. 16 overall pick, No. 19 overall pick, and a 2022 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for the No. 18 overall pick, a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 seventh-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.

Philadelphia has their franchise quarterback, but if Roseman still has dreams of redoing the Justin Jefferson fiasco the 2024 draft could offer several big named quarterbacks, an All-American pass catcher and several defenders to help offset potential losses.

If Philadelphia dreams of an all-world pass-rusher or stud wide receiver, an extra first-round pick would be gold a year from now when the team will have multiple second-round picks as well.

Here are some of the top 2024 signal-callers, a star running back, and one all-world wide receiver that could have Roseman waiting patiently for that greener pasture.

REPORT: Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei expected to transfer to Oregon State

Previous rumors had D.J. Uiagalelei going to UCLA. Fresh reports on Friday evening have him going to Oregon State. Can Jonathan Smith make this work? #Beavers

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.

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa-5f1ce800029f353b16aab280fdc8f9aa.jpg]

[listicle id=54551]

Five-star quarterback Dante Moore flips commitment from Oregon to UCLA

.@Ducks_Wire has more on one of the big stories in #Pac12 football this week. Does this mean D.J. Uiagalelei will not go to UCLA? Stay tuned.

Highly-touted quarterback Dante Moore officially flipped his commitment from Oregon to UCLA, just days before the early signing period begins on Wednesday.

The five-star prospect from the state of Michigan appeared to be a solid commit for the Ducks until he took an official visit to UCLA on Dec. 9.

Ducks Wire has more on this developing story.

Moore originally committed to Oregon back on July 8, choosing the Ducks from over 40 other offers. However, after Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham — Moore’s main recruiter — left the program the head coaching job at Arizona State, rumors began swirling that Moore was going to look elsewhere.

Moore carries a five-star rating in the 247Sports Composite and is ranked as the No. 5 quarterback in one of the best QB classes in recent memory.

In his time at King (Detroit), Moore finished runner-up for the Michigan Gatorade Football Player of the Year award in both 2021 and 2022.

The 2023 class is getting juicy folks, especially out West. Stay tuned for more.

[mm-video type=video id=01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa-5f1ce800029f353b16aab280fdc8f9aa.jpg]

[listicle id=53840]

Tracking the Oregon QB dominoes with Dante Moore, Bo Nix, DJ Uiagalelei and more

At this point, there are a million different ways that Oregon’s QB situation could play out. Let’s try to keep them straight.

When it comes to the quarterback position for the Oregon Ducks, there are about a million different ways we could answer the question “who starts at QB in 2023?”

Will it be Bo Nix? That’s my odds-on favorite at the moment, but the Ducks’ 2022 starter had an opportunity to announce to the world that he’s coming back for another year with Oregon on Friday afternoon, and he instead kicked the can down the road.

Will it be five-star recruit Dante Moore? If you asked me a week ago, I would have said that he is a likely option, but the way the recruiting world has unfolded over the past few days makes that seem rather unlikely at this point.

What about a transfer who isn’t on the roster? That’s a reasonable path, and there are a number of viable available options who would likely love to play in Eugene.

While there can’t be multiple answers to this question, it’s easy to see how all of these options are connected in some way or another. Over the past few days, it’s become incredibly confusing to keep track of who is going where, and what school is looking at what player — so much so that you might be better off with a ball of string, some push pins and a cork-board as we get down to the end of the recruiting cycle.

Let’s dive into what we know and see what it tells us about where the Ducks go from here.

Who’s next at QB for Florida? Here are some transfer portal options

Here are some of the top names to keep an eye on in the transfer portal as the Gators look for their next signal-caller.

Florida football faces some serious attrition at the quarterback position after the departure of starter [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] to the NFL draft and the dismissal of [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] from the program due to criminal charges. Add the revocation of 2023 recruit [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag]’ scholarship due to unacceptable behavior, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has quite a pickle to deal with this offseason.

The good news is the program has done very well bolstering its depth under center for the long term, earning commitments from 2023 five-star signal-caller [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] as well as 2024’s [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag].

Unfortunately, there is only [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] and a few other untested young gunslingers to help bridge the quarterback room in the interim, which means the Gators will need to dip into the NCAA transfer portal for at least one potential starter in 2023.

Take a look below at the list of potential transfer portal targets Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre put together in the second edition of his hot board, along with some relevant rankings and stats to go along with them.