5-star DL Matayo Uiagalelei gives his thoughts on some blue blood programs

Bellflower (Calif) St. John Bosco five-star defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei is following in the footsteps of his older brother DJ Uiagalelei by becoming a five-star recruit.

The On3 Consensus – a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies – rates Matayo as the 12th-best player in the country. He is also the No. 3-ranked defensive lineman and third-best player from the state of California.

DJ was the No. 15 overall recruit in the retroactive On3 Consensus for the 2020 class.

But whether Matayo Uiagalelei follows his brother to Clemson remains to be seen.

Matayo Uiagalelei thinks Clemson will bounce back

Matayo Uiagalelei is no stranger to Clemson thanks to his brother. But as he told Clemson Sports‘ Joseph Hastings, every visit is helpful in him learning more about the program and his fellow recruits.

Uiagalelei visited Clemson on Sept. 18 after playing a game for Bellflower St. John Bosco in Maryland.

“We took a red eye straight to South Carolina — I didn’t get any sleep that day,” Uiagalelei said. “We got there in the morning, toured the facility. I’ve already toured the facility there but it’s just good to always go there and just go talk to the coaches and see some other recruits.”

The Tigers season has not gone according to plan. They scored only three points in a season-opening loss to Georgia and the team never got back on track following the loss.

They current sit unranked by all three major polls and at 7-3 overall. But Uiagalelei thinks the team wlll bounce back.

“It’s all about just good character, hard work,” Uiagalelei said of the program’s. “They probably didn’t meet the expectations they wanted to this year. If you look at every other year, Clemson is always at the top. I have no doubt though they’ll get back up there in the next couple of years.”

Uiagalelei is impressed by Alabama, Georgia

Like most recruits, Matayo Uiagalelei is impressed by the top two ranked teams in the country: Alabama and Georgia.

“There is not really that much to say,” Uiagalelei said of Alabama. “They’ve been done dominating college football for the past decade and they just put so many players in the league. It’s kind of like, if you go there, you’re probably gonna go to the league.”

Uiagalelei called Nick Saban one of the greatest college coaches in the history of the sport, if not the best.

For the Bulldogs, Uiagalelei has been impressed by the way their top-ranked defense has played this season.

“You can see the way their defense plays,” Uiagalelei said. That’s the best defense of college football right now. You can see guys flying around the field everywhere.”

Matayo Uiagalelei loves Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson

Matayo Uiagalelei was planning on going to Columbus, Ohio, for Ohio State‘s game against Oregon, but Uiagalelei missed his flight and missed watching the Buckeyes lose.

Even though he hasn’t been able to visit for a game yet, Uiagalelei really likes Ohio State.

“I think I really like Ohio State,” Uiagalelei said. “I love the coach, Coach Johnson. Coached the Bosa brothers, Chase Young, just seeing those guys come out of Ohio State as a d-end.”

One place he didn’t miss his flight for was Texas. Uiagalelei visited the school before their recent freefall and watched the Longhorns drop 70 points on Texas Tech. He said it was a good visit. The one thing he wished he did differently was to eat more barbecue.

Uiagalelei also believes in Steve Sarkisian and the job he is doing at the school.

“I think he’s bringing it back,” Uiagalelei said. “Even though they have some losses this year, it’s gonna take a couple of years for him to get his players in there and start coaching to his full potential, but I think they have a big thing going at Texas.”