From our Florida State site here at Rivals.com for those following FSU this off-season.
The months of heated discussions and debate as well as plenty of anxious anticipation are almost over.
In less than two weeks' time, we'll finally get that long-awaited look at new FSU quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in a game with consequences.
The Clemson and Oregon State transfer has played a lot of college football, appearing in 48 games and making 40 starts over the last four seasons. That experience is invaluable on an offense that will be integrating a great deal of younger, less-proven skill-position players and his arm talent is utterly undeniable.
DJ Uiagalelei feels he has been able to build strong relationships with teammates. (Bob Ferrante)
And yet, there are some concerns in Uiagalelei's game that have kept him from realizing his potential as a former five-star prospect coming out of high school.
He has some documented accuracy issues as a career 59.1% passer who has completed less than 60% of his passes in two of his last three seasons. He's thrown seven or more interceptions each of the last three seasons and didn't average more than eight yards per pass attempt any year until the 2023 season at Oregon State.
Some of those accuracy concerns have carried over into the Seminoles' preseason camp. And they haven't exactly been aided by an up-and-down, largely inconsistent FSU wide receiver unit through the first few weeks of fall camp.
And yet, there's confidence emanating from the FSU coaching staff about the new FSU signal-caller, who steps into some big shoes in the near future as the quarterback successor to Seminole legend Jordan Travis.
"He's done a remarkable job. The investment in his study and the investment just in the work and overall understanding. Very smart quarterback. He sees the field well..." FSU head coach Mike Norvell said of Uiagalelei. "I'm still trying to challenge him with different looks and do unexpected things to see how he's able to work themselves through that and he does a great job in his response to those situations. So very excited about where he is."
While Uiagalelei was somewhat limited in Saturday's second preseason scrimmage to protect him, Norvell said he very much viewed it as an evaluation day for the quarterback two weeks out from the Seminoles' season opener vs. Georgia Tech in Dublin.
"I thought DJ did do a great job with that," Norvell remarked. "Really all quarterbacks had their positive moments (Saturday). I thought he started off outstanding."
Back in the spring, you saw Uiagalelei gradually learning his third offense in as many years after enrolling at FSU in January. You saw the ability and some moments of comprehension scattered throughout an unsurprising learning curve.
And yet, this preseason, through the struggles, Uiagalelei has looked far more confident running the offense. He's been decisive, gotten the ball out fast and made what would probably be deemed the correct decision at a high rate.
"It's been fun to watch because it's just been a steady climb or progression," FSU offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said of Uiagalelei. "And sometimes we get caught up in the result of it. But we’re looking into the decision making. What did you see pre-snap? Did you like this? Why did you change this? Those conversations have improved so much and I'm excited to see as he continues to grow and kind of take the offense with two hands."
The offense has had its days of struggle to be sure — we don't know for sure but this could certainly be attributed to going up against what could be a prolific FSU defense in practice — but even on those days, he's kept negative plays to a minimum and avoided sacks well.
And it bears mentioning that practice "sacks" may not always be sacks in reality when factoring in that defenses will soon have to bring down Uiagalelei and his 6-foot-4, 252-pound frame instead of just getting to him and touching him.
"I feel comfortable. A lot more comfortable than I did in the spring. As the spring kept going on, I got more comfortable with all the different checks, the offense, the scheme, the motions, different stuff like that," Uiagalelei said early this preseason. "The more I've been in it, now with the whole summer, (FSU analyst Austin) Tucker) and (QBs coach Tony) Tokarz have done a really good job of helping me learn the offense along with coach Norvell and all the other offensive guys. I feel pretty comfortable right now."
Uiagalelei's effortless deep balls and ridiculous arm strength certainly pair well with the speed FSU has brought into its wide receiver room both through the high-school ranks and the transfer portal.
And just as Uiagalelei's confidence running the offense has grown since spring, so has his chemistry with those players he'll be throwing the ball to. That bond, especially with fellow transfers like Malik Benson from Alabama and Jalen Brown from LSU has been evident over the last week as those two have been the standouts of the wide receiver unit.
"The biggest thing is I feel like I know the guys a lot more than I did in the spring. Better relationship with guys, I've spent more time with them outside the facility and in the facility. I feel like that helps out a lot..." Uiagalelei said. "Just spending quality time. I feel like that's the biggest thing you can do as a leader and to earn someone's trust. At the end of the day, I've got to be able to earn everybody's trust on this team and I've got to be able to trust in everybody as well."
We've also seen much more as the preseason progresses how Norvell and the offensive staff will cater the offensive playcalling around Uiagalelei's skill-set.
His mobility in his imposing frame can be a real asset — he's amassed 1,132 career rushing yards and 21 career rushing touchdowns — and Norvell's track record of being able to construct offenses around what his players do well should bring confidence to the fan base entering the season.
"At the end of the day, we're able to give ideas, talk about different stuff like 'Hey, I liked what we did today,'" Uiagalelei said. "That's the fun part as a quarterback, especially here. You get to have a say, you get to communicate and it's an easy line of communication to your head coach and offensive coordinator."
FSU will begin to install the Georgia Tech game plan at Monday morning's practice, 12 days out from the season opener. For Uiagalelei, it'll be a familiar opponent, one he faced twice while he was the starter at Clemson, albeit with a new coaching staff now at GT.
That game will also mark the start of a chance for Uiagalelei to get some potential redemption in his final year of eligibility and for Norvell and his staff to prove that what they did with Jordan Travis' development was no fluke.
Learning through hits and misses, DJ Uiagalelei's confidence at FSU builds
By: Curt Weller - The OsceolaThe months of heated discussions and debate as well as plenty of anxious anticipation are almost over.
In less than two weeks' time, we'll finally get that long-awaited look at new FSU quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in a game with consequences.
The Clemson and Oregon State transfer has played a lot of college football, appearing in 48 games and making 40 starts over the last four seasons. That experience is invaluable on an offense that will be integrating a great deal of younger, less-proven skill-position players and his arm talent is utterly undeniable.
DJ Uiagalelei feels he has been able to build strong relationships with teammates. (Bob Ferrante)
And yet, there are some concerns in Uiagalelei's game that have kept him from realizing his potential as a former five-star prospect coming out of high school.
He has some documented accuracy issues as a career 59.1% passer who has completed less than 60% of his passes in two of his last three seasons. He's thrown seven or more interceptions each of the last three seasons and didn't average more than eight yards per pass attempt any year until the 2023 season at Oregon State.
Some of those accuracy concerns have carried over into the Seminoles' preseason camp. And they haven't exactly been aided by an up-and-down, largely inconsistent FSU wide receiver unit through the first few weeks of fall camp.
And yet, there's confidence emanating from the FSU coaching staff about the new FSU signal-caller, who steps into some big shoes in the near future as the quarterback successor to Seminole legend Jordan Travis.
"He's done a remarkable job. The investment in his study and the investment just in the work and overall understanding. Very smart quarterback. He sees the field well..." FSU head coach Mike Norvell said of Uiagalelei. "I'm still trying to challenge him with different looks and do unexpected things to see how he's able to work themselves through that and he does a great job in his response to those situations. So very excited about where he is."
While Uiagalelei was somewhat limited in Saturday's second preseason scrimmage to protect him, Norvell said he very much viewed it as an evaluation day for the quarterback two weeks out from the Seminoles' season opener vs. Georgia Tech in Dublin.
"I thought DJ did do a great job with that," Norvell remarked. "Really all quarterbacks had their positive moments (Saturday). I thought he started off outstanding."
Back in the spring, you saw Uiagalelei gradually learning his third offense in as many years after enrolling at FSU in January. You saw the ability and some moments of comprehension scattered throughout an unsurprising learning curve.
And yet, this preseason, through the struggles, Uiagalelei has looked far more confident running the offense. He's been decisive, gotten the ball out fast and made what would probably be deemed the correct decision at a high rate.
"It's been fun to watch because it's just been a steady climb or progression," FSU offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said of Uiagalelei. "And sometimes we get caught up in the result of it. But we’re looking into the decision making. What did you see pre-snap? Did you like this? Why did you change this? Those conversations have improved so much and I'm excited to see as he continues to grow and kind of take the offense with two hands."
The offense has had its days of struggle to be sure — we don't know for sure but this could certainly be attributed to going up against what could be a prolific FSU defense in practice — but even on those days, he's kept negative plays to a minimum and avoided sacks well.
And it bears mentioning that practice "sacks" may not always be sacks in reality when factoring in that defenses will soon have to bring down Uiagalelei and his 6-foot-4, 252-pound frame instead of just getting to him and touching him.
"I feel comfortable. A lot more comfortable than I did in the spring. As the spring kept going on, I got more comfortable with all the different checks, the offense, the scheme, the motions, different stuff like that," Uiagalelei said early this preseason. "The more I've been in it, now with the whole summer, (FSU analyst Austin) Tucker) and (QBs coach Tony) Tokarz have done a really good job of helping me learn the offense along with coach Norvell and all the other offensive guys. I feel pretty comfortable right now."
Uiagalelei's effortless deep balls and ridiculous arm strength certainly pair well with the speed FSU has brought into its wide receiver room both through the high-school ranks and the transfer portal.
And just as Uiagalelei's confidence running the offense has grown since spring, so has his chemistry with those players he'll be throwing the ball to. That bond, especially with fellow transfers like Malik Benson from Alabama and Jalen Brown from LSU has been evident over the last week as those two have been the standouts of the wide receiver unit.
"The biggest thing is I feel like I know the guys a lot more than I did in the spring. Better relationship with guys, I've spent more time with them outside the facility and in the facility. I feel like that helps out a lot..." Uiagalelei said. "Just spending quality time. I feel like that's the biggest thing you can do as a leader and to earn someone's trust. At the end of the day, I've got to be able to earn everybody's trust on this team and I've got to be able to trust in everybody as well."
We've also seen much more as the preseason progresses how Norvell and the offensive staff will cater the offensive playcalling around Uiagalelei's skill-set.
His mobility in his imposing frame can be a real asset — he's amassed 1,132 career rushing yards and 21 career rushing touchdowns — and Norvell's track record of being able to construct offenses around what his players do well should bring confidence to the fan base entering the season.
"At the end of the day, we're able to give ideas, talk about different stuff like 'Hey, I liked what we did today,'" Uiagalelei said. "That's the fun part as a quarterback, especially here. You get to have a say, you get to communicate and it's an easy line of communication to your head coach and offensive coordinator."
FSU will begin to install the Georgia Tech game plan at Monday morning's practice, 12 days out from the season opener. For Uiagalelei, it'll be a familiar opponent, one he faced twice while he was the starter at Clemson, albeit with a new coaching staff now at GT.
That game will also mark the start of a chance for Uiagalelei to get some potential redemption in his final year of eligibility and for Norvell and his staff to prove that what they did with Jordan Travis' development was no fluke.
