D.J. Uiagalelei puts together historic performance in Oregon State debut

One of the most fascinating questions of the offseason in college football this year was how D.J. Uiagalelei would perform with the Oregon State Beavers, his new home in Corvallis, Oregon. He had an up-and-down tenure with the Clemson Tigers, which forced him to hit the transfer portal this offseason and decide to suit up for Jonathan Smith–the head coach of the Beavers. In his debut on Sunday afternoon against the San Jose State Spartans, Uiagalelei has looked dominant behind an incredible offensive line.

He completed 20 of his 25 passes for 239 passing yards, while tossing three touchdowns and no interceptions. As a runner, he had six carries for 10 yards and two touchdowns.

According to Josh Dubow, he became the first Oregon State quarterback since at least 2000 with two touchdown passes and two or more touchdown runs in the same game. The former St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) star has shown the kind of potential that made him the No. 2 ranked quarterback prospect in the country coming out of high school in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

He also flashed that same potential in a number of games during his time with Clemson (Wake Forest in 2022, Notre Dame and Boston College in 2020). It’s going to be fascinating to see how good of a year he has with his new coaching staff.

The Beavers brought in the backup quarterback, Aidan Chiles early in the fourth quarter and Uiagalelei’s day was done early.

Thanks to his masterful performance and a dominant showing by the Beavers offensive line, Oregon State dominated San Jose State to the tune of a 42-17 beatdown. It was the most points scored in a season opener by the Beavers since 2013, when they scored 46 against Eastern Washington. The Beavers hadn’t won a season opening game on the road since 1999.

More on Uiagalelei’s journey to Oregon State

Before his transfer, Uiagalelei started for the Tigers for two seasons. Entering the collegiate ranks as a five-star recruit, Uiagalelei went on to pass for 5,681 yards and 36 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. Additionally, he wasn’t shy when it came to scrambling from the pocket having rushed for 913 yards and 15 touchdowns during his Clemson career.

He was never bad, per se, but he was never able to get Clemson over the hump and into the national title picture during his tenure. After transferring, Uiagalelei was critical of how Swinney’s offense hindered his abilities under center.

“I didn’t want to do what I was doing at Clemson. I didn’t really like what we did there scheme-wise,” Uiagalelei said. “It was very basic. It didn’t help me out as a quarterback and play to my strengths. I wanted to go somewhere that would play to my strengths and go somewhere that would develop me for the NFL. Play-action, work under center, throwing the ball deep.”

On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this article.