Jonathan Smith and his team made a statement Saturday afternoon when Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei officially announced his intention to transfer to Oregon State.
He will have two years of eligibility left to use at Corvallis.
The former five-star quarterback entered the transfer portal after the ACC Championship game earlier this month. The commitment comes days after BeaversEdge reported on The Dam Board that the Beavers were targeting the quarterback heavily and needed to push hard for him.
On Friday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Uiagalelei was to be transferred to Corvallis, a report BeaversEdge was able to confirm shortly after.
Landing the Southern California native is a major recruit for the Beavers. The formerSt. John Bosco (CA) is the highest ranked Rivals player to ever sign up for the program. It will also provide the Beavers with a potential game-changer at the flagman position.
Last season, despite performing slightly above average at quarterback for most of the season, Jonathan Smith’s program still managed to amass a 10-3 season. Now, while returning a large majority of their talent from the 2021 season, the Beavers will have the next-level quarterback they’ve been looking for.
This season for Clemson, Uiagalelei has completed 229 of 370 pass attempts (61.9%) for 2.5.21 yards, 22 touchdowns and one interception. It’s been a much better year since his first year as a starter in 2021 which saw him complete just 55.6% of his passes for 2,246 yards and nine touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions.
For comparison, the Beavers’ three quarterbacks in Chance Nolan, Ben Gulbranson and Tristan Gebbia have combined to complete 197 of 316 attempts (62.3%) for 2,473 yards and 16 touchdowns. Nolan and Gulbranson, however, threw 13 combined interceptions during the season.
Despite the improved performance, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound quarterback was replaced by 2022 Clemson signing Cade Klubnik in the ACC Championship game. After a difficult start for Uiagalelei in the game. Klubnik would make 20 of 24 pass attempts in the game for 279 yards. Days after the Tigers’ 39-10 victory over North Carolina, Uiagalelei announced his intention to enter the transfer portal.
While his Clemson career certainly didn’t go as planned, Uiagalelei still brings a ton of talent and an extremely high ceiling to Corvallis. Throughout his time with the Tigers, he showed lightning bolt precision as well as tremendous arm strength. He has also shown his ability to be a dual-threat quarterback despite his impressive size.
Totaling 913 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on 275 carries over three seasons. This season, he had his best season on the ground, for 545 yards and seven touchdowns on 142 carries.
The Beavers’ future is bright at quarterback…
The commitment also continues to mark the Beavers’ ability to attract and recruit elite talent. Throughout Jonathan Smith’s tenure, there have been several close misses, including JT Daniels last spring. Uiagalelei, however, questions the beavers’ abilities to recruit in bed.
With Uiagalelei in the fold, it also gives the Beavers one of the best quarterback hires this offseason. As part of their 2023 recruiting round, the Beavers landed four-star quarterback Aidan Chiles from Downey (CA). Chiles was offered by the program early last year and quickly became a priority for the Beavers coaching staff. He eventually committed himself to the program on the state of Kansas, Washington and others. After signing with the Beavers, Chiles climbed the recruiting rankings and became one of the highest-rated dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation.
In the latest Rivals Recruiting Rankings, Chiles was ranked the seventh-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the 31st-best player in the state of California.
With the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Chiles likely benefiting greatly from a redshirt year, the Beavers could be placed at quarterback for the foreseeable future. Uiagalelei still has two years of eligibility, but a strong 2023 could be enough to propel him into the NFL, or if he uses both years, it would give Chiles two years of development time before the reins of the offense. potentially being awarded to the four-star talent.
All in all, the Beavers could theoretically be placed at quarterback for three to five years if all goes according to plan.
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