FSU Football's Tony Tokarz Likes What He Sees from DJ Uiagalelei, Quarterback Room

With less than two weeks to go until kickoff, Tokarz says that DJU is excelling.

The ball will fly through the air in less than two weeks for the Florida State Seminoles, as the 'Noles travel to Dublin, Ireland, to face off against Georgia Tech in the first game of the season. FSU has been working hard at camp, and one of the major storylines that has emerged is the question of who will replace former Heisman Finalist and now New York Jet, Jordan Travis, at quarterback.

Florida State brought in Oregon State transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to compete for the starting position against redshirt freshman Brock Glenn, and promising freshman Luke Kromenhoek and Uiagalelei's coaches have had nothing but good things to say about the veteran signal-caller.

"He's done a really good job. I think you see continued growth just from when he's come in from the spring, obviously winter, spring, getting the time in the offseason with the guys, um, summer OTAs, and now through camp," Quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz said to the media after Tuesday's practice. "I mean, he prepares at an elite level. His approach is unbelievable; it's something that we were obviously hoping for when bringing him in, but, he's super mature, constantly in the film room—a film junkie."

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Uiagalelei, a redshirt senior who joined his third program when he signed with the 'Noles, is learning a new offense, and the coaching staff will need to tailor their game plan to help highlight his strengths and weaknesses. Tokarz said that the design around Uiagalelei is fluid and that, to a degree, they live in the grey area as far as the give and take.

"You guys have heard me say this before with Jordan (Travis), too. It is give and take in the quarterback room. Like, to a degree, you live in the gray a little bit. It's not always black; it's not always white, you know what I mean? You've got to find that middle ground. So, within how we attack, within what we can do, how can we play to his strengths and the strengths of our personnel?"

Uiagalelei brings a ton of experience to the locker room. He has appeared in 48 games with 40 starts and has totaled 9,451 yards of total offense, including 8,319 yards and 57 passing touchdowns, along with 1,132 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.

While not as an electric runner as Travis, Uiagalelei can move and, at 6'4'', 252 pounds, he can be tough to bring down. With him being a part of such an explosive rushing attack, getting the alignments of the offensive line and the decision making on play action passes will be crucial for the offenses success.

"It's getting us into the right plays, and that can be whether it's formation adjustments or the scheme itself," Tokarz continued. "Bottom line, it comes down to just the trust that we have in him to make the right decision. I mean, we're riding with the decision that he makes. And you know what, if it's not a good play, whatever that is, it's about finding the next best answer. How can I protect the football and give us a chance to snap it one more play?"

Glenn played behind Travis last season and although head coach Mike Norvell has yet to name a starter, it is likely that his time to fully take the reigns of the offense will come next year. Tokarz said that the competition makes the whole room better and with Kromenhoek in the mix it is an exciting room to be a part of.

"It's our daily objective as a program, right? It's to get better every day. Get better by being the best version of yourself. And so, I mean, for Brock, just coming in and learning from DJ, still getting pushed from Luke, still—I mean, you see an ultra-competitive quarterback room. So it's going to be exciting."

Tokarz's full interview can be seen below.

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