For the second time in as many years, DJ Uiagalelei has entered the transfer portal. The former five-star quarterback out of St. John Bosco in Southern California initially committed to play for Dabo Swinney at Clemson. After a few years at Clemson, he opted to transfer to Oregon State to play for Jonathan Smith after losing the starting job to a once-promising five-star freshman in Cade Klubnik.
Uiagalelei will have one more year of eligibility. While he could conceivably turn pro and enter the 2024 NFL Draft, this is a loaded quarterback draft, and there is next to no chance he would be anything close to a first-round pick. Therefore, it probably serves him to stick around the college game one more year to attempt to finally get the most out of his once-impressive five-star talent.
Unfortunately for Uiagalelei, there are several better transfer portal quarterback prospects over him including Riley Leonard (Duke), Will Howard (Kansas State), Dante Moore (UCLA) and Will Rogers (Mississippi State) to name a few. The good news for Uiagalelei is his ability to play well at times at strong Power Five programs should give him at least one more shot of playing for a Power Five team.
Without further ado, here are five potential transfer portal destinations for the Beavers quarterback.
5 transfer destinations for former five-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei
5. Oregon Ducks already have DJ Uiagalelei's younger brother Matayo
This is a stretch, a pipe dream, if you will. Would Uiagalelei turn heel and play for the big brother rival in The Strife Aquatic? Well, the Oregon Ducks will no longer be conference rivals with the Oregon State Beavers, as Oregon is heading to the Big Ten next season alongside UCLA, USC and Washington. Oregon State and Washington State will be quasi-independent with a loose Mountain West affiliation.
There are three reasons why Uiagalelei could go from Corvallis to Eugene this offseason. One, this is where his younger brother Matayo Uiagalelei plays tight end at. Two, this is the last year of eligibility current Heisman Trophy frontrunner Bo Nix has at Oregon. And three, the Ducks are not going anywhere, as head coach Dan Lanning already has this thing humming in his second year at the helm.
Reuniting the Uiagalelei Brothers would feel so good, but this does feel like a pressure cooker situation for DJ U. He would be tasked with not only replacing an Oregon legend at quarterback in Nix, but will have to help the Ducks navigate treacherous waters in the Big Ten. His skillset may serve him in this Oregonian transition, but the Beavers' colors do not exactly run with those of the Ducks.
To me, this potential transfer destination has too many potential slip-ups for Uiagalelei to go there.
4. Kentucky Wildcats could look to replace Devin Leary this offseason
Keep an eye on the Kentucky Wildcats over the next few weeks for a multitude of reasons. The most obvious is with regards to the transfer portal. UK's last two starting quarterbacks came to Lexington by way of the portal. Will Levis came to Kentucky by way of Penn State. Devin Leary played the bulk of his college football for Dave Doeren over at North Carolina State. The third time is the charm, right?
Even if head coach Mark Stoops were to theoretically leave Kentucky for his alma mater should the Iowa Hawkeyes post open up with Kirk Ferentz potentially retiring, the Wildcats have a great offensive mind back on staff in Liam Coen. No, it would not shock me if Coen got promoted from within to be Kentucky's next head coach in that hypothetical situation. Plus, he would need another quarterback.
Given that this is Leary's last year of eligibility, UK will need a succession plan in place to replace him. It may be through recruiting, but there are plenty of promising quarterbacks available in the portal. Uiagalelei already had great success in the same relative region at Clemson. Though a return trip to Clemson is probably out of the question now, Kentucky is a unique opportunity to go play in the SEC.
There are potentially too many moving pieces to get Uiagalelei to Lexington, but I would not hate this.
3. San Diego State Aztecs have made an exciting HC hire in Sean Lewis
While going down to the Group of Five may not be what Uiagalelei wants to do, keep in mind that Oregon State is about to lose its Power Five designation alongside Washington State with the dissolution of the Pac-12. Odds are, the Beavers and Cougars will eventually join the Mountain West, but that may not be until 2025 or so. However, there is a Mountain West spot worth monitoring here...
With San Diego State hiring former Colorado offensive coordinator and Kent State head coach Sean Lewis as Brady Hoke's long-term successor, Aztecs football is about to be oodles of fun over in the Mountain West. Group of Five designation be damned, SDSU is now on a shortlist of say around five schools that are certainly capable of making the jump up to the Power Five, or whatever it becomes.
Transferring to San Diego State would allow Uiagalelei to stay out on the West Coast, as well as contend for the College Football Playoff right away because of expansion. If SDSU were to win the Mountain West in Lewis' first year in the job, that might be good enough to get one of the AQ spots as the fifth-best conference champion. Uiagalelei could also improve his draft stock considerably there.
It may look like a slight regression, but it may be what it takes to get Uiagalelei drafted high in 2025.
2. UCLA Bruins need a solid quarterback with Dante Moore transferring
For as alluring as the potential San Diego State opportunity is, I think there is one spot where Uiagalelei could do better out on the West Coast. That would be to travel south to Califonia and suit up for Chip Kelly's UCLA Bruins. Like Oregon, UCLA will be moving to the Big Ten next year, meaning it will be even more exposure for Uiagalelei now on his third Power Five team. They need a quarterback.
Kelly lost his promising former five-star recruit Dante Moore to the transfer portal after only one season. Moore split time this past season with Ethan Garbers. UCLA was not a great team by any means, but the Bruins certainly weren't bad enough to merit Kelly being fired. Rumors of him being on the hot seat were odd to say the least. Then again, Kelly is not for everyone, so I can understand this.
If Uiagalelei were to commit to UCLA, we are looking at the Bruins potentially being a top-25 team in the country during their first year in the Big Ten. Long-term, I don't know how good of a fit the Bruins will be on the football field in their new league. However, I contest that their floor is much higher as a program than we would expect. It would not shock me if they were better than USC again next year.
Uiagalelei to UCLA makes all the sense in the world, and could be the place where he does end up.
1. Michigan State Spartans just landed Jonathan Smith as head coach
Although his father Big Dave had some thoughts about Jonathan Smith leaving Oregon State for Michigan State, the Spartans is without question the most likely landing spot for Uiagalelei in the transfer portal. He committed to play for Smith last offseason. The Beavers had a great season for their standard in the Pac-12. As far as the Spartans are concerned, they really need a quarterback.
With Noah Kim already in the transfer portal and Katin Houser about to be, there is next to no competition for Uiagalelei at Michigan State. Factor in former Oregon State offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren following Smith from Corvallis to East Lansing, and you can see just how seamless of a fit this would be. The big question I have about the Michigan State fit is if Sparty will be any good.
Well, it would be hard for them to be much worse than they were a season ago, or over the last two years for that matter. It is hard to believe that Michigan State was a New Year's Six team only two seasons ago. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. With better financial resources available for Smith in East Lansing, it would not be shocking for Uiagalelei to follow him there with a sizable NIL package.
Michigan State is definitely looking for a quarterback in the portal, but Uiagalelei would fit perfectly.
