Ex-Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei is transferring to Oregon State

Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has committed to Oregon State, he announced Saturday.

Uiagalelei, a former ESPN top-50 recruit who went 22-6 as a starter at Clemson, was one of the most talented players on the NCAA transfer portal.

Uiagalelei is from Southern California, and his decision to return west connects him with one of the rising programs on the West Coast. Oregon State is coming off a 10-3 season, which included a 30-3 blowout of Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Uiagalele has elite arm talent, but completed less than 60% of his passes during his Clemson career, throwing 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Oregon State returns all five starters on the offensive line and has one of the best young running backs in the country in Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year Damien Martinez, who rushed for 982 yards.

Uiagalelei will have to beat incumbent starter Ben Gulbranson, who went 7-1 as the Beavers’ starter this season. Chance Nolan, who started the season as a starter at Oregon State, is on the transfer portal.

Uiagalelei came to Clemson as one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects in 2020. He teased stardom his freshman year, throwing for 439 yards in a double-overtime loss at Notre Dame. It was the most yards by an opposing quarterback at Notre Dame Stadium.

But from there, Uiagalelei never quite lived up to high expectations. He played solid stretches, but Clemson missed the College Football Playoff in both seasons as the school’s primary starter, 2021 and 2022. That two-year stretch resulted in Clemson reaching the CFP six straight times.

Uiagalelei retired from the starting job in the first quarter of the ACC title, leading to a changing of the guard with talented freshman Cade Klubnik. Uiagalelei entered the portal a few days later.

Uiagalelei has two years of eligibility left. And while he’s strayed from the three-and-out path that has become the expectation of most top prospects, he’s found a program with a strong track record of developing quarterbacks.

Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren are trying to unlock Uiagalelei’s arm talent. Uiagalelei showed clear improvement this year after losing weight and running more of a designed quarterback. He set career highs in passing yards (2,521) and passing touchdowns (22), as well as rushing yards (545) and rushing touchdowns (7).

Smith is a former college star at Oregon State, and Lindgren has coached quarterbacks in college since 2008. The Beavers’ strong offensive line and running game will take pressure off Uiagalele if he wins the job.

Uiagalelei will be one of the most highly regarded players at Oregon State in recent years. He was the 43rd overall player in the 2020 class. Oregon State has signed just three ESPN 300 players since 2006, with guard Isaac Seumalo, ranked No. 19 in 2012, the highest.

Uiagalelei’s presence in Corvallis stirs up a rivalry with Oregon known as the “Civil War.” His younger brother Matayo, an ESPN 300 defensive end, committed to Oregon this week. That means the brothers could face off next season in one of the Pac-12’s biggest rivalries.