Seminoles say Uiagalelei More Mature at FSU

CHARLOTTE — The first thing that struck Darius Washington when he first met DJ Uiagalelei was Uiagalelei’s size.

“He is a very big person. That is a big quarterback,” Florida Sate’s All-ACC center said Monday as part of the 2024 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.

Uiagalelei is big. He stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 252 pounds.

“That is a quarterback that looks like a defensive lineman,” Washington said.

The Seminoles do not need Uiagalelei to be a defensive end, they have plenty of them. They need him to be their quarterback, which he was at Clemson for two seasons in 2021 and 2022.

Uiagalelei led the Tigers to a 22-6 record and the 2022 ACC Championship as their starting quarterback. However, after late-season struggles in 2022, he was replaced by Cade Klubnik in the ACC Championship Game, and a few weeks later he entered the transfer portal.

According to Washington, Uiagalelei does not talk much about his playing days at Clemson.

“If we ask him about it, he will talk about it. It is more so about what is upcoming. All that stuff is in the past,” he said.

After he left Clemson, where he earned his undergraduate degree, Uiagalelei went to Oregon State. There, he put up similar numbers to his Clemson days, while leading the Beavers to an 8-4 record.

When head coach Jonathan Smith left Oregon State for Michigan State, Uiagalelei left too and re-entered the transfer portal.

“It can kind of be difficult to go from program to program, but at the same time it also helps you prepare for the NFL,” Washington said. “The culture changes in the NFL. Teams trade you in the NFL. There are positives and negatives because it prepares you for what is going to come next.”

What’s next for Uiagalelei is being Florida State’s starting quarterback.

“I am excited about where he is headed and the best is yet to come with him,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. “As you see with older guys that go through their journey, it is an opportunity to improve and get better.

“I love his maturity.”

Uiagalelei’s maturity was an underlining theme from both Washington and Norvell, though maturity was never an issue for Uiagalelei when he was at Clemson or Oregon State.

“As you see someone who grows from whatever that was and what that looked like, coming into our program he brings maturity and how he cares about himself. He is very professional in his approach and very genuine in his actions,” Norvell said. “That is something that speaks to the young man. It is not just ball to him.”

However, there is a point when Uiagalelei steps out onto that field where it is about football. The question is, has he matured in those moments.

“I never really knew him at Clemson, so I can’t really speak on him at Clemson,” Washington said. “All I can share with you is how he is at this program. He is a genuine leader. He is a great person. He genuinely cares about this program. He really wants this program to excel and be the best.”

–Photo by Melina Myers / USA TODAY Sports