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Does D.J. Uiagalelei still have an NFL future?

D.J. Uiagalelei is returning to the ACC, this time to play for Florida State. The former five-star recruit is on his third school and running out of time to deliver on his potential.

By Chris McGlynn

D.J. Uiagalelei enters his fifth season of college football with 57 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions.
D.J. Uiagalelei enters his fifth season of college football with 57 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions. / Don Juan Moore/GettyImages
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Uiagalelei threw for a career-high 2,638 yards at Oregon State. / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

With his time at Clemson seemingly over, Uiagalelei entered the transfer portal and ultimately enrolled at Oregon State. The Beavers were coming off their first 10-win season since 2006 under the leadership of an up-and-coming coach named Jonathan Smith. Smith played quarterback in Corvallis from 1998-2001. Uiagalelei replaced Chance Nolan, who transferred to TCU following the success of his 2022 campaign. The pieces were in place for the Beavers to contend for a Pac-12 title.

The season did not go quite that well, but Oregon State still finished 8-4 and reached the Sun Bowl. Uiagalelei's numbers did not change too much. His completion percentage dipped again, but he was being asked to push the ball downfield more. He threw almost the same number of touchdowns (21) and interceptions (7) as he had the year before.

Smith departed for the Michigan State job before the Sun Bowl and Uiagalelei followed suit. He entered the portal again, this time opting to return to the ACC. He committed to coach Mike Norvell at Florida State, set to replace Jordan Travis, who was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round, as the starting quarterback for the Seminoles.

FSU lost a lot of talent to the NFL last season, headlined by Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and Keon Coleman. However, expectations are sky-high for the Seminoles once again. DraftKings has Florida State as the favorite to win the ACC, narrowly ahead of Uiagalelei's former school in Clemson. The Noles also have the ninth-shortest odds to win the national championship.

Uiagalelei will once again be tasked with leading a national championship contender. With a slate of big-time games and an expanded playoff, he will have plenty of opportunity to show growth and pro-readiness. Right now, it is hard to view him as anything more than a mid-to-late Day 3 prospect. He has the arm talent to be an NFL quarterback. This year will tell if he has the mental makeup and technical skills necessary to thrive in that role.

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