Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei Had a Simple, Sad Response to Departure of Jonathan Smith

DJ Uiagalelei was understandably disappointed to see he coach leaving for greener pastures.

No. 16 Oregon State lost 31–7 to No. 6 Oregon on Friday night, and it wasn't the worst thing that happened to the program this weekend.

On Saturday, it was reported that coach Jonathan Smith would be leaving the Beavers to take the top job at Michigan State next year.

Smith, an Oregon State alum himself, took over the program in 2018, at a time when the Beavers had won just seven games combined over the previous three seasons under Gary Anderson.

Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei summed up his feelings about coach Jonathan Smith’s departure for Michigan State with one emoji :: Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Over the next seasons, Smith took Oregon State from the bottom of the Pac-12 barrel to nationally ranked and a win in last year's Las Vegas Bowl—the team's first bowl win since 2013.

Smith was also the one to convince former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to join the Beavers when he entered the transfer portal last year. The move has been a rousing success, with Uiagalelei throwing for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns against seven interceptions while leading Oregon State to a 8–4 record this year.

But with Smith now heading to coach the Spartans, Uiagalelei is left with some big decisions of his own to make. He summed up his feelings simply with a post on social media.

Well 😕

— DJ Uiagalelei (@DJUiagalelei) November 25, 2023

With the coming dissolution of the Pac-12 as we know it, Oregon State and Uiagalelei are in a tough spot. Many Michigan State fans, in response to Uiagalelei’s post, encouraged the quarterback to follow Smith and transfer once again.

Follow him! He’s a great coach!

— B1GDuckEnergy🦆 (@Six8TheGreat) November 25, 2023

The transfer portal opens for players on Monday, Dec. 4. Between now and then Uiagalelei will have some thinking to do.