BroBible
DJ Uiagalelei had one of the most confusing and disappointing careers in college football history. The former Clemson, Oregon State and Florida State quarterback never quite lived up to expectations at any of his three stops.
His father continues to blame the coaching staff for his son’s failures.
‘Big Dave’ Uiagalelei, as he is known, pointed fingers at Mike Norvell and the Seminoles after the rookie signal-caller orchestrated a touchdown drive during the NFL preseason. His up-and-down (mostly down) college football career is no fault of his own.
As a five-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2020, Uiagalelei ranked as the No. 2 player in the country behind only Bryce Young, ahead of guys like Will Anderson, Kelee Ringo, Jalen Carter, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Bijan Robinson and C.J. Stroud. The hype could not get much greater.
It looked like he was going to live up to the billing at first!
Uiagalelei made his first college start against Boston College. He went 31-of-40 for 342 yards and two touchdowns during an epic 18-point comeback win in the second half.
Uiagalelei also started against undefeated Notre Dame in South Bend the following week. The Tigers lost by seven in overtime. Their five-star freshman quarterback went 29-of-44 for 439 yards and two touchdowns.
That was the pinnacle of D.J. Uiagalelei’s college career.
He got benched in favor of Cade Klubnick during the ACC Championship in 2022, spent one year at Oregon State and one year at Florida State. His last year with the Tigers was perhaps his best season.
Regardless of the numbers, D.J. Uiagalelei struggled to get the job done. He often threw ill-timed interceptions, fumbled, or simply missed his guy.
His five years at three schools were not the success he or the fanbases had hoped.
No matter how much his eldest son struggled, the Uiagalelei family patriarch refused to point a finger at him. Rather, it is always the fault of somebody else — except for one rare occasion.
Big Dave threatened to fight a Florida fan who insulted DJ on social media prior to last season, ripped Florida State’s coaching staff in August, and previously tore into Dabo Swinney for his approach to the transfer portal. Those are just a few of many examples.
The latest occurrence relates to the Hall of Fame Game.
DJ Uiagalelei completed two of three pass attempts for 25 yards during the...
