Anonymous ACC Coach Skeptical That DJ Uiagalelei Will Improve At Florida State

The Seminoles are banking on Uiagalelei maximizing his talents under the tutelage of Mike Norvell and Tony Tokarz.

Dillon Riera/NoleGameday

A new journey begins for seasoned signal-caller DJ Uiagalelei in less than 48 hours when Florida State takes on Georgia Tech in Ireland. Uiagalelei is entering his fifth season at the college level and is well-traveled after spending his first three years at Clemson before a standout campaign at Oregon State last year.

The former five-star prospect has been through ups and downs in his career but there's no doubting his talent. Uiagalelei posseses tantalizing ability with one of the strongest arms in the game and a 6-foot-4, 252-pound frame to back it up. Where he's struggled the most is consistency with his accuracy, something the Seminoles hoped to tool in their favor this offseason under the tutelage of head coach Mike Norvell and quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz.

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The Seminoles built their offense around Uiagalelei over the last eight months, leaning on speed out wide and a variety of running backs to lead what should be a balanced attack. After what the coaching staff did with Jordan Travis, there is optimism they'll be able to maximize what Uiagalelei brings to the table.

With that being said, not everyone around the ACC agrees with that sentiment. At least one coach in the league believes that Uiagalelei is the 'same guy' he's been this far into his career. The unnamed coach also brought into question why the quarterback didn't follow his former head coach at Oregon State to Michigan State.

"He's the same guy," the ACC coach said according to ESPN. "He didn't just suddenly become a great player at Oregon State. I'd imagine if [Uiagalelei and Smith] liked each other that much, [Uiagalelei] would have gone to Michigan State."

Another anonymous defensive coordinator in the ACC is much higher on Florida State's addition of Uiagalelei, noting the NFL characteristics in his profile.

"People always had that vision: 'Why isn't he going to win the Heisman?'" the ACC defensive coordinator said according to ESPN. "He's definitely not going to get worse. He's going to get better. How much better? Mike's done a great job. If [Uiagalelei] goes and works out at any NFL combine, there's size, arm strength, movement, intelligence. Everybody's gonna say, 'Yeah, he could fit the NFL.'"

Uiagalelei is coming off a campaign at Oregon State where he completed 180/315 passes (57/1%) for 2,638 yards with 21 touchdowns to seven interceptions while rushing 68 times for 219 yards and six scores. He's appeared in 48 games, with 40 starts, completing 695/1176 passes for 8,319 yards with 57 touchdowns to 24 interceptions. He's also rushed 343 times for 1,132 yards and 21 more scores. Uiagalelei was named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year Watchlist, the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award watchlist, and the Maxwell Award Watchlist this preseason.

It remains to be seen how the experiment between Uiagalelei and the Seminoles will work out. Projections are just that but the duo will finally hit the field together this Saturday in the opener against Georgia Tech in Ireland.

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