FSU's DJ Uiagalelei Places 17th In ESPN's 2024 Offseason Quarterback Rankings

Uiagalelei and the Seminoles will look to qualify for the College Football Playoff once again.

Jackson Bakich | Mar 7, 2024

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Florida State Seminoles

After transferring to Florida State, former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has cracked the top 20 in ESPN’s latest quarterback rankings for the 2024 season.

The list was topped by Georgia’s Carson Beck and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, respectively.

Miami Hurricanes QB Cam Ward took the #10 spot.

Uiagalelei found himself in the #17 position, receiving only four votes in the sports media company’s ranking. He finished above quarterbacks in Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), Conner Weigman (Texas A&M), Kyron Drones (Virginia Tech), and Will Rogers (Washington), respectively.

After spending three years with the Clemson Tigers, Uiagalelei guided the Oregon State Beavers to an 8-4 record with key wins over Utah and UCLA.

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Standing at an impressive 6’4” and 250 pounds, the California native was a five-star recruit coming out of high school (St. John Bosco, Bellflower, CA) and a four-star transfer prospect.

As a true freshman with the Tigers, DJU relieved Trevor Lawrence and defied expectations, going 30-41 for 342 yards and two touchdowns against Boston College. He followed that up with a performance of 29-44 for 439 yards and two touchdowns against Notre Dame in South Bend.

Uiagalelei showed improvement in 2022, bettering his completion percentage (61.9%) as well as his TD/INT ratio (22/7). However, he was passed on by head coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson faithful for then-freshman Cade Klubnik.

During his lone season at Oregon State, Uiagalelei had a 57% completion rate and threw 21 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

That being said, the key to DJU’s success could be connected to the retention of important offensive line pieces such as Darius Washington, Robert Scott, and Maurice Smith – all seasoned Seminoles.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the offseason.

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Published Mar 7, 2024

JACKSON BAKICH

Born in Orlando but raised in Lake County, Florida, Jackson Bakich is currently a senior at Florida State University. Growing up in the Sunshine State, Bakich co-hosted the political talk radio show "Lake County Roundtable" (WLBE) and was a frequent guest for "Lake County Sports Show" (WQBQ). Currently, he is the Sports Editor of the FSView and host of "Tomahawk Talk" (WVFS), a sports talk radio program covering Florida State athletics in Tallahassee.