Sources: Florida State, Oregon emerge as early contenders for DJ Uiagalelei

Florida State and Oregon have both emerged as early contenders to keep an eye on throughout DJ Uiagalelei’s transfer portal process, sources tell On3.

The Oregon State quarterback entered the transfer portal on Thursday afternoon, choosing to explore his options for his final season of eligibility. A graduate transfer, it’s his second time going through a portal recruitment.

His decision isn’t expected immediately, though. Over the upcoming weeks, he will evaluate the possibility of entering the NFL draft, sources have emphasized to On3. Because he is a grad tranfer, he’ll be immediately available to play.

Oregon would provide the opportunity to stay on the West Coast and play his final year of college football with his younger brother, Matayo Uiagalelei. A freshman EDGE for the Ducks, the former four-star recruit will be playing for a Pac-12 title on Friday night.

Florida State has also emerged as an early contender. With Jordan Travis’ career over, the Seminoles are trying to make the CFP with backup Tate Rodemaker. That doesn’t mean they won’t be looking to add a quarterback this offseason. There is a track record of recruits finding success, with Travis arguably the best example.

DJ Uiagalelei will bring experience, maturity

With 40 career stars, DJ Uiagalelei will bring experience to wherever he lands. He also touts a 30-10 overall record. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound quarterback meshed with head coach Jonathan Smith’s offensive scheme in his lone season at Oregon State, throwing for over 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions.

A former five-star recruit and Clemson starter who transferred to the West Coast last winter, Uiagalelei is now entering college football’s free agency, taking advantage of his COVID-19 exemption. 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.