Mike Norvell on DJ Uiagalelei's prep: 'Couldn't ask for anything more'

DJ Uiagalelei didn’t earn the QB1 title by accident. On Friday, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell raved about his starting quarterback.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more from what he’s done from January when he arrived to now,” Norvell said. “A lot of people think all the focus goes on the field. And yes, he’s done that — his preparation, his work. But I mean, I think equally as important, is the work that he’s invested for these guys off the field. Who he is — being genuine, true, open.

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“He’s not here just to play a position. He’s here to be a great teammate. His humility, it shines through every day. He’s very confident in what he does. He’s very confident and understands the responsibility of a position. But, he cares about who he gets to do it with, and that’s something that’s that’s important to this program. The relationships are, are critical, and I think that’s probably one of the underlying qualities of him.”

Uiagalelei transferred to Florida State this offseason after spending the 2023 campaign at Oregon State. In his lone season with the Beavers, Uiagalelei tallied 2,638 passing yards and 21 touchdowns while only throwing seven interceptions.

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Uiagalelei’s arm wasn’t his only threat. He also racked up 219 yards and six touchdowns via the ground game. For his efforts, Uiagalelei was named a 2023 Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist.

Uiagalelei began his collegiate career at Clemson, where he spent three seasons and amassed 36 appearances, including 28 starts. Uiagalelei has massive shoes to fill at FSU. He will succeed quarterback Jordan Travis, who led Florida State to a perfect 12-0 regular season record last season.

Nonetheless, Norvell can’t help but get excited about Uiagalelei’s potential.

“He’s 6’4, 250 pounds, I mean huge arm — all the things, right?” Norvell said. “You get really excited about that but when you get to know the person, that’s who you want to play with. That’s who you want to coach.

“That’s who you want to see run out there on the field. And, I think DJ has got just a wonderful makeup of that, and I’m just grateful for his work and am looking forward to seeing him compete with those guys.”

DJ Uiagalelei will make his debut with the Seminoles in a showdown against Georgia Tech on Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcast by ESPN.