New players for FSU football in the 2024 season include DJ Uiagalelei
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and defensive lineman Marvin Jones Jr. headline the Florida State Seminoles’ new signings for the 2024 season.
Replacing Jordan Travis as Florida State’s quarterback will be no easy task. At least DJ Uiagalelei has some experience.
Uiagalelei is the new starting quarterback for the FSU football team in 2024. Travis was popular in Tallahassee, led a dynamic offense and sparked speculation about the Heisman Trophy before a serious leg injury ended his 2023 season prematurely.
Coach Mike Norvell brought several new faces out of the transfer portal. Chief among them is Uiagalelei, the former No. 1 quarterback prospect who previously played against FSU when he was Clemson’s quarterback. He was the designated successor to Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, but his time with the Tigers ended abruptly when he was replaced by Cade Klubnik in the 2022 ACC Championship Game.
After a comeback season at Oregon State, Uiagalelei is now at Florida State looking to prove he’s still deserving of a high NFL draft pick. He’ll get his first shot with the Seminoles on Saturday against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. Here’s everything you need to know about FSU’s new starting QB, including his stats, his family and, most importantly, how to pronounce his name.
How do you pronounce DJ Uiagalelei’s name? What is the ethnicity of the FSU quarterback? Is he from Hawaii?
David John Uiagalelei is called DJ. He is of Samoan descent, like Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. When you see “ag” in Samoan names, pronounce it by changing the “a” sound to a “u” and adding an “n.” This is how you pronounce Uiagalelei: “oo-ee-UNG-ah-leh-lay.”
Uiagalelei’s parents emigrated from Samoa to Hawaii, but DJ was born in Inland Empire, California.
How old is DJ Uiagalelei? How many years does he have left to play?
DJ Uiagalelei was born on April 17, 2001, making him 23 years old. He played three seasons at Clemson and one at Oregon State before transferring to Florida State for the 2024 season, which will be his fifth and final season of NCAA eligibility.
Where did DJ Uiagalelei play high school football?
DJ Uiagalelei was a five-star quarterback recruit out of St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif. He was named the 2018 National Offensive Player of the Year by USA TODAY and was ranked as the No. 2 overall recruit in the class of 2020 by 247 Sports. As the top-rated pro-style quarterback recruit, he led St. John Bosco to the No. 1 national rankings.
Why did DJ Uiagalelei leave Clemson?
DJ Uiagalelei committed to Clemson and was expected to be Trevor Lawrence’s successor to keep the Tigers in the race for the national championship. In his freshman season in 2020, he started two games and showed his potential by throwing for 781 yards and four touchdowns in those games, including 439 yards and two TDs in a double-overtime thriller at Notre Dame.
But after Lawrence’s departure, things didn’t go so well for Uiagalelei. He threw for 2,246 yards and just nine touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 2021. He came back in 2022 with 2,521 yards, 22 TDs and seven INTs, but there will still be signs of trouble. He threw for more than 300 yards just once, and in the final game of the regular season against South Carolina, he managed 8 of 29 for 99 yards. Dabo Swinney waived him in the first quarter of the ACC championship game for Cade Klubnik, and two days after the freshman led the Tigers to a 39-10 victory, Uiagalelei entered the transfer portal.
“I didn’t want to do what I did at Clemson,” Uiagalelei told The Athletic after landing at Oregon State. “I didn’t really like what we did there, scheme-wise. I didn’t think we did much. I thought it was very simplistic.”
“It didn’t help me as a quarterback and didn’t play to my strengths. I wanted to go somewhere where I could play to my strengths and develop for the NFL. Play-action, work under center, throw the ball far.”
Uiagalelei and FSU will play against Klubnik and Clemson in Tallahassee on October 5.
Does DJ Uiagalelei have a brother? Matayo Uiagalelei plays for Oregon Football
Matayo Uiagalelei is DJ’s younger brother. He was born in 2005. He played one season with DJ at St. John Bosco, caught passes from his brother, and now plays for Oregon.
The Uiagalelei brothers faced each other last season when Matayo’s Ducks hosted DJ’s Oregon State Beavers. Matayo sacked his brother in the Ducks’ 31-7 win to close the regular season, and the two had an emotional meeting after the game.
Was DJ Uiagalelei drafted into the MLB? Will he play baseball?
The Los Angeles Dodgers, Uiagalelei’s favorite childhood baseball team, selected him on the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft. He was the 610th pick overall.
Uiagalei played baseball in high school but did not continue in college, but a report from MLB.com on the day of the draft said he agreed to the draft as a backup plan.
Is DJ Uiagalelei an NFL prospect?
Uiagalelei had a strong season at Oregon State in 2023. He threw for a career-high 2,638 yards for 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. However, his completion percentage dropped to 57.1% and he still didn’t throw for more than 300 yards.
Uiagalelei decided to transfer again rather than enter the NFL Draft to further his career with one more season of college football. On New Year’s Day, he announced that he was transferring to Florida State.
DJ Uiagalelei’s Girlfriend: Who is Ava Pritchard?
Ava Pritchard was born in Texas in 2000 and played volleyball at Clemson from 2018 to 2021. She received her master’s degree from Clemson in 2022.
Pritchard followed Uiagalelei to Oregon when he was transferred there, and she has posted photos of their time in Tallahassee. The two got engaged in Hawaii on May 11, 2024.
DJ Uiagalelei Statistics
Here’s a look at DJ Uiagalelei’s stats for the 2024 college football season:
- Degrees/Attempts: 695/1.176
- Degree of completion: 59.1%
- Passing Yards: 8,319
- Pass touchdowns: 57
- Intercepted balls: 24
- QB Rating: 130.4
- Rushes: 343
- Mileage: 1,132
- Rushing touchdowns: 21
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech: How to watch, time, TV schedule
- Time: Saturday, August 24, 12:00
- Location: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+ ($10.99 per month), WatchESPN and the ESPN app (TV provider required), Fubo (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)
- Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
- Week 0: vs. Georgia Tech, Saturday, August 24, 12:00 p.m. in Dublin, Ireland
- Week 1: vs. Boston College, Monday, September 2, 7:30 p.m.
- Week 2: Open
- Week 3: vs. Memphis, Saturday, September 14, 12:00 p.m.
- Week 4: vs. California, Saturday, September 21
- Week 5: at SMU, Saturday, September 28
- Week 6: vs. Clemson, Saturday, October 5
- Week 7: Open
- Week 8: at Duke, Friday, October 18, 7 p.m.
- Week 9: in Miami, Saturday, October 26
- Week 10: vs. North Carolina, Saturday, November 2
- Week 11: in Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 9
- Week 12: Open
- Week 13: vs. Charleston Southern, Saturday, November 23
- Week 14: vs. Florida, Saturday, November 30
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