DJ Uiagalelei has been named the Oregon State Beavers’ starting quarterback, according to The Oregonian.
Uiagalelei had competed with Ben Gulbranson, a fourth-year sophomore who started last season, and true freshman Aidan Chiles, who joined Oregon State as a four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class.
How has DJ Uiagalelei performed in his college career?
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DJ Uiagalelei joined the Clemson Tigers as a five-star prospect and the second-ranked overall prospect in the 2020 recruiting class.
Uiagalelei primarily served as a backup to Trevor Lawrence as a true freshman, however, he did appear in 10 games, making two starts while Lawrence had COVID-19. He finished with 914 passing yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed 66.7% of his passes while adding 60 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries.
Uiagalelei was named the starter the following season, throwing for 2,246 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He completed just 55.6% of his passes and carried the ball 105 times for 308 yards and four touchdowns.
Uiagalelei bounced back last season, finishing with 2,521 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He completed 61.9% of his passes while rushing for 545 yards and seven touchdowns on 142 carries. He was, however, benched for true freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik, a five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
The following day, DJ Uiagalelei announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. He will look to have a bounce-back season as a member of the Beavers.
How did the Oregon State Beavers perform last season?
The Oregon State Beavers entered the 2022 season unranked after finishing the previous season with a 7-6 record. They got off to a great start, winning three straight nonconference games. Oregon State dropped its first two Pac-12 games, losing to the No. 7-ranked USC Trojans and No. 12-ranked Utah Utes.
The Beavers bounced back with another three-game winning streak before losing to the Washington Huskies. The Beavers finished their regular season schedule with three more wins, including a victory over the No. 10-ranked Oregon Ducks. They defeated the Florida Gators 30-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl, finishing the season ranked 17th in the final AP poll.
Oregon State averaged 32.2 points per game, which ranked 38th out of 131 teams in the nation. They allowed just 20.0 points per game, which ranked 16th in the nation. Their passing offense ranked 105th; however, their rushing offense ranked 28th. The Beavers passing defense ranked 65th, while their rushing defense ranked 15th.
Oregon State will enter this season ranked 18th in the nation.