Uiagalelei was a five-star quarterback coming out of St. John Bosco High School. His time in Clemson has been filled with ups and downs and that just can’t cut it at a place like Clemson. Dabo Swinney gave the reins to Cade Klubnik to bring home the ACC Championship, and he did. Clemson’s timeline and D.J. ‘s timeline no longer added up so a fresh start has been long overdue.
UCLA Bruins
This makes a lot of sense considering D.J. is a Cali kid, and Chip Kelly’s offense makes things a lot of fun for quarterbacks. The Bruins are losing one of the best quarterbacks in the program’s history in Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and have built a ton of momentum from this season. UCLA does have Ethan Garbers in line to take over the offense along with ‘22 four-star recruit Justyn Martin but I wouldn’t consider that a super secure QB room. Especially if you’re looking to compete for a Pac-12 championship once again.
If D.J. Uiagalelei were to come back home the Bruins would still very well be contenders in the Pac-12. Not to mention the fact that D.J. ‘s little brother, and five-star recruit himself, Matayo Uiagalelei is considering the Bruins. Coming back home, joining your little brother and competing for a conference championship in front of your friends and family sounds like a dream come true.
Oregon Ducks
Oregon was another school that immediately made sense to recruit Uiagalelei’s talents. Similarly to UCLA, the Ducks had a very solid 2022 that they would like to build on, however they could have a question mark at the QB position. Personally I think they are head over heels better with Ty Thompson & incoming Dante Moore than what UCLA offers. I wouldn’t consider D.J. a must for the Ducks but a lot of people seem to like the fit. Once again it is a west coast school that is close to home, and another school Matayo Uiagalelei is considering.
Utah Utes
Personally I think Utah is a real sleeper pick to land D.J. Uiagalelei. They have shown to be a dominant force in the Pac-12, and bring back a very good squad. That could end up being a deal breaker as Cam Rising has a chance to return and be a super senior with the Utes. If he does wrap it up though Utah will have a pretty open situation at quarterback with a very talented roster to put around him. The defense has always been one of the best in the Pac-12, and could really take pressure off D.J. if/when needed. UCLA definitely was saved by the brilliance of DTR at times this season and could ask Uiagalelei to be superman more often than needed.
