Tag: oregon state football

Michigan State football offers Oregon State TE commit Wyatt Hooks

MSU has offered Oregon State TE commit Wyatt Hooks

Michigan State has offered another member of Oregon State’s 2024 recruiting class, this time extending an offer to Cupertino, California, native Wyatt Hooks.

Hooks is a 3-star prospect, standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 235 pounds. He holds additional offers from Cal, Colorado, Hawaii and Washington State. He has been committed to Oregon State since Dec. 1, 2022, almost one year ago.

New MSU TE coach Brian Wozniak was his lead recruiter at Oregon State.

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Social media reacts: DJ Uiagalelei reenters the transfer portal

DJ Uiagalelei is back in the transfer portal, and it has people talking.

According to reports, former Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is back in the transfer portal after one season with the Oregon State Beavers.

Uiagalelei entered the portal last season following Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik, earning the starting quarterback position ahead of the 2022 Orange Bowl. The destination he chose was Oregon State, where he had a solid season in 2023.

Leading the Beavers to an 8-4 record, Uiagalelei threw for 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, adding 6 touchdowns on the ground. This decision came after former Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith accepted the Michigan State head coaching job, so it isn’t too surprising to see Uiagalelei in the portal following his head coach’s departure.

With news like this comes reactions. Here is a look at how Twitter/X has reacted to Uiagalelei reentering the transfer portal.

Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei reenters the transfer portal

DJ Uiagalelei is back in the transfer portal after one season with Oregon State.

Former Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State after starting two seasons for the Tigers, and he is now back in the transfer portal after one season with Oregon State, according to reports.

This news comes after former Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith accepted the Michigan State head coaching job, so it is not incredibly surprising to see Uiagalelei depart after losing the head coach who brought him into the program. Uiagalelei led the Beavers to an 8-4 record this season, throwing for 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, adding 6 touchdowns on the ground.

Uiagalelei is a huge name in the portal and one whose situation we will monitor closely.

LOOK: Every player drafted in the NFL during Jonathan Smith’s era at Oregon State

Check out every player that was drafted into the NFL during new MSU HC Jonathan Smith’s tenure at Oregon State:

New Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith is known as a program builder and someone who can develop players at a high level. He has shown the ability to elevate the talent that he recruits, a quality Spartan fans are very excitedly looking forward to.

At Oregon State, Smith was able to really turn the development up on a plethora of offensive talent at Oregon State leading to a handful of draft picks in his six year tenure in Corvallis. Of his eight draft picks, seven have seen significant snaps and game action in the NFL, which is impressive to his development acumen.

Check out who got drafted into the NFL during Smith’s tenure at Oregon State:

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Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith makes first hire, OL coach Jim Michalczik

Jonathan Smith has his first assistant coach hire as the head coach of Michigan State:

Jonathan Smith has not wasted any time getting started as Michigan State’s head football coach, as just eight hours after being announced as the head man of the MSU football program, he has made his first hire.

Smith will be bringing his run game coordinator and offensive line coach Jim Michalczik from Oregon State to Michigan State with him, per a report from 247Sports’ Justin Thind.

Michalczik has a great resume as a coach:

1990–1991 Miami (FL) (DL)
1992–1998 Montana State (OL)
1999–2001 Oregon State (OL/TE/ST)
2002–2008 California (assistant HC/OL)
2009–2010 Oakland Raiders (OL)
2011–2013 California (OC/OL)
2013–2017 Arizona (OL)
2018–present Oregon State (AHC/RGC/OL)

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Oregon aired Michigan State game at Autzen Stadium after report of Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith to Spartans

If this was a troll job, it was elite.

Right before Oregon hosted Oregon State, there was huge news involving Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith and his future with his team.

According to Nicole Auerbach, Oregon State’s Smith emerged as the “top target” for the head coaching vacancy at Michigan State. Auerbach added that “nothing is finalized yet” but that it is in its final stages and could end by the end of this weekend.

Bet For The Win’s Blake Schuster recently mentioned Smith as one of the seven college football coaches who are prime candidates to be poached by another program this offseason. Led by Smith, named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year last season, Oregon State is currently ranked No. 16 overall.

It appears Michigan State could have the most interest in his services.

Shortly after Auerbach’s report, meanwhile, the Oregon folks at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. did a wonderful job of addressing the elephant in the room.

Potentially as a troll or perhaps just because some fans may want to watch two future Big Ten rivals, the Ducks showed Michigan State vs. Penn State on the Jumbotron.

We don’t know whether or not this was a troll job by Oregon.

But either way, we can imagine that the Oregon State fans and even potentially the players and staff are very aware of the Michigan State rumblings.

So to show the game on the Jumbotron likely did little to quiet those conversations.

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Swinney says there ‘Ain’t nobody happier for DJ than me’ seeing DJ Uiagalelei’s success at Oregon State

Dabo Swinney loves to see DJ Uiagalelei succeeding at Oregon State.

Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has been having an awesome year as the Oregon State starting quarterback as the starting quarterback has the Beavers humming to a 6-1 record and No.12 ranking in the country. 

Through seven games this season, he has thrown for 1,573, 15 touchdowns, four interceptions, and has an 85.0 quarterback rating (7th in the country). Uiagalelei’s success has been great to see for many, but no one is happier for the former Clemson starter than Tigers’ head coach Dabo Swinney, who discussed his performance on his radio call show on Monday.

“Ain’t nobody happier for DJ than me. I love the kid,” Swinney said. “That’s exactly what I hoped would happen. That he would get a good reset and really just go ball out and have a great year. This kid was incredibly committed to Clemson for three years. He’s a graduate. I know he got a lot of criticism — the guy is 22-6 as a starter here. It’s just crazy. I think he’s got a bright, bright future, and I’ve always believed that. Again, sometimes you need a reset.

“I’m really happy for him and proud of him…This kid is a really good player and an unbelievable kid, and a great preparer of the game. Ain’t nobody on the planet happier for that young man than me. Just pulling for him to finish well and go on to do great things and play some pro ball. He’s always represented Clemson and Oregon State with class.”

As expected, it was a classy response from Swinney, who is one of the best player’s coaches in college football. There is no doubt Swinney is proud of what he’s seen from Uiagalelei this season. 

Bowl Projection: Clemson projected to face a familiar foe in DJ Uiagalelei and Oregon State

Action Network is projecting the Tigers to face former starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in the postseason.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football team are firmly out of the College Football Playoff picture, but there is still a lot of season left for this team to prove themselves and what they are all about. 

For Clemson (4-2, 2-2 ACC) to end the 2023 season on a high note, they may need to get through a very familiar face to do so… DJ Uiagalelei. According to Brett McMurphy and Action Network’s latest college football bowl projections, Clemson is projected to face Oregon State in the Holiday Bowl.

I know the Holiday Bowl is not a game Tigers fans were expecting, but if this does end up happening, it would be a wild matchup for a few reasons. The obvious reason is former Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. 

Uiagalelei started two seasons for the Tigers with high expectations, taking over for Clemson great Trevor Lawrence. The young quarterback had his moments but didn’t live up to the hype. Swinney and the Tigers opted to go with now-starting quarterback Cade Klubnik, with Uiagalelei transferring to play for the Beavers. 

He has had a solid start to his season as the No.15 Beavers sit at 5-1 heading into a Week 7 matchup against No.18 UCLA. So far, he has recorded 1,307 passing yards, 13 TD passes, 4 interceptions, 131 rushing yards, and 5 rushing TDs.

This matchup is mainly intriguing because of this, but it is also interesting because it would simply be a great matchup. Two great defenses taking each other on with all of the implications around both offenses would be a fantastic watch.

Why has Oregon State’s defense been so inconsistent this season?

When Oregon State meets UCLA, will the Beavers’ defense get back on track? OSU has not defended well in 2023.

USC versus Notre Dame isn’t the only game with a Pac-12 team this week in which a bad defense is facing a bad offense. The Oregon State-UCLA game in Corvallis could be framed in similar terms.

Oregon State has allowed 38 points or more to Washington State and California. That’s a shockingly bad display for the Beavers, who memorably held Caleb Williams and USC to just 17 points one year ago.

Oregon State’s struggling defense faces a UCLA offense which has been stuck and stymied in the first half of the season.

Before the OSU-UCLA game this Saturday in Week 7, we asked this question to our Pac-12 football panel:

Oregon State has been shredded on defense away from Corvallis. Aberration or indicator?

Our Pac-12 panel responded:

Matt Wadleigh: It’s an indicator for me, but the way the Beavers’ offense is playing, I wouldn’t worry very much yet.

Matt Zemek: I don’t understand Oregon State at all. How can this defense be so good and then suddenly collapse against Cam Ward? How can this defense give up 40 to Cal’s backup quarterback? What happened? Cam Ward is good, but UCLA just smothered him this past weekend. If UCLA could bottle him up, why couldn’t Oregon State at least slow him down? OSU is playing inconsistent football. The Beavers need to prove they can be more consistent as the season moves along.

Zachary Neel: It’s not nothing, for sure. I think that Oregon State is about as good as we expected them to be this year, but they remain inconsistent. The defense definitely has some improvements to make if they want to slow down the likes of Oregon and Washington, but they can handle themselves against the rest of the conference.

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Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame as the Irish prepare to face USC.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football leading into the big game against Washington on October 14.

Prominent Pac-12 sports journalist thinks USC is likely to fire Alex Grinch before season’s end.

USC and Lincoln Riley need to have a plan in place if Alex Grinch coaches poorly and loses to Notre Dame.

Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator might actually be worse than Alex Grinch, a fascinating plot point heading into the October 14 renewal of Irish-Trojans.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality against Notre Dame and Utah.

ESPN grades DJ Uiagalelei as one of college football’s top transfer quarterbacks so far this season

ESPN has graded all 46 transfer quarterbacks so far this season. Former Tiger DJ Uiagalelei ranks among the best.

Former Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State this offseason as the Tigers passed the torch to Cade Klubnik to take over as the team’s starting quarterback. 

The decision to transfer was one Uiagalelei had to make if he wanted what was best for his career, and the decision to move on to play for the Beavers was an excellent choice for the young quarterback. With an excellent run game, one of the best offensive lines in college football, and a top-tier home environment, Uiagalelei has thrived at Oregon State.

Recently, ESPN graded 46 college football quarterback transfers in 2023 ($$$), with Uiagalelei ranking among the best in the country with a B+ grade. There were only five players ahead of the former Tiger. Here is a bit of what writers Adam Rittenberg and Tom VanHaaren had to say about Uiagalelei.

iagalelei might have been the most intriguing quarterback of the transfer cycle, given his profile at Clemson. Oregon State coaches were impressed with his willingness to learn a new and more complex offense, which requires quarterbacks to absorb and process a lot. His results have been mostly positive. Uiagalelei had a near-flawless debut at San Jose State — 239 pass yards and three touchdowns while completing 20 of 25 passes with two rushing touchdowns — but then began to struggle with his accuracy, a problem during his Clemson tenure. He completed a combined 45 of 89 passes against San Diego State, Washington State and Utah, before another brilliant performance in the Bay Area against Cal (275 pass yards, five touchdowns). Uiagalelei’s mobility has helped the Beavers; he has averaged 4 yards per rush with five touchdowns.

Uiagalelei hasn’t been a world-beater at Oregon State, but he has been very good. So far, he has recorded 1,307 passing yards, 13 TD passes, 4 interceptions, 131 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs, and a 5-1 record.

Seeing the former Clemson starter flourishing elsewhere is great, as the move made sense for both him and the Clemson football program. He will look to continue his strong season as the Beavers face a tough UCLA team on Saturday.