Source: Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei set to enter transfer portal

Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is set to enter the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility, a source tells On3.

The former five-star recruit and Clemson starter transferred to the West Coast last winter, finding a new home with the Beavers. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound quarterback meshed with head coach Jonathan Smith’s offensive scheme, throwing for over 2,638 yards this season and leading Oregon State to an 8-4 record.

But Smith left for the Michigan State head coaching job this past weekend, leaving Uiagalelei surprised and without a head coach. With the Pac-12 ceasing to exist as we know it at the end of this academic year, there is expected to be an exodus of talent at Oregon State and Washington State.

DJ Uiagalelei is now entering college football’s free agency, taking advantage of his COVID-19 exemption. According to the source, entering the NFL draft is still in consideration, too. His stardom started in high school, but he became a name to watch as a freshman backup for Trevor Lawrence in 2020. Staying on the West Coast will not be a driving factor in his portal recruitment, per a source.

With Lawrence out with COVID in 2020, Uiagalelei threw for 439 yards and two passing touchdowns in his second career start under the lights in South Bend against Notre Dame. The Tigers lost 47-40 in double overtime but Uiagalelei’s performance was regarded as one of the best of the season.

He struggled as a two-year starter for Clemson after Lawrence left, never looking comfortable in the offense. That changed this year at Oregon State.

He played high school football at Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 12 overall recruit and No. 2 in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.