DJ Uiagalelei will try to take Oregon State to next level with transfer

Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei will apparently continue playing in orange in 2023 with Oregon State as his expected transfer destination.

DJ Uiagalelei was one of the biggest names to enter the transfer portal this December. It seems he won’t be in the portal much longer.

According to Pete Thamel, the former Clemson quarterback has made a decision on his transfer destination: Oregon State.

While the announcement is not official, Thamel reported that it is expected to come within the next few days.

DJ Uiagalelei will join an Oregon State team looking to take the next step

Uiagalelei lost his starting job at Clemson to Cade Klubnik after another lackluster campaign in 2022. He never lived up to the hype as the heir to Trevor Lawrence when he arrived as the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2020.

Now, he has a chance to change the narrative around his career with the Beavers.

Oregon State may not be a marquee program, but Jonathan Smith has slowly built a formidable program in Corvallis. With their win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl, the Beavs notched 10 wins for the first time since 2006.

Mike Riley managed that feat in his fourth season at Oregon State but he never matched that win total. The Beavers were a good team in that era, but never took the next step to challenge for the Pac-12 crown.

Smith needs to find a way to make that transition from “surprisingly formidable” to “capable of winning the conference” and Uiagalelei could be key to that. Anyone who watched Oregon State this season can attest that they were a solid quarterback away from a serious run at the Pac-12 title game.

However, Uiagalelei isn’t a sure thing. His passer rating this past season was worse than that of any of Oregon State’s insufficient passers.

The obvious difference is his ceiling. If Smith and his staff can keep the Beavers run game as the focal point while putting Uiagalelei in a position to succeed by, frankly, asking him to do less, his powerful arm could finally come good.

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