Canzano: Uiagalelei era quietly setting up at Oregon State

The Pac-12 QBs ranked.

DJ Uiagalelei transferred from Clemson to Oregon State.

David John Uiagalelei slipped into Corvallis a couple of months ago virtually unnoticed. He rented an empty apartment five minutes from campus, moved his belongings in, and started classes.

DJ’s new college football team?

It comes furnished.

Jonathan Smith’s Oregon State program is coming off a 10-win season. It starts spring practice next week. Smith has a solid offensive line and Damien Martinez in the backfield, but it’s the quarterback I find myself most interested in. I’ve waited for a while for Smith to land one capable of expanding the ceiling of the offense.

The Uiagalelei-era is set to begin.

DJ’s father, Dave, told me on Wednesday: “It’s what he has around him that makes it exciting.”

The Beavers have some important questions that need to be answered this spring. The team lost three team captains who were also defensive starters. Jack Colletto wasn’t a captain, but was a critical piece on both sides of the ball. Safety Jaydon Grant, a seventh-year senior last season, is gone, too. He was essentially a player-coach in the secondary.

But between Uiagalelei, returner Ben Gulbranson, and four-star freshman Aidan Chiles the Oregon State quarterback room is deeper than at any point in recent history.

Said Smith: “We have some talent in there.”

OSU has been playing football since 1893. Will Bloss — the son of the university president, John — was the school’s first-ever starting quarterback. The younger Bloss scheduled the tryouts, selected the roster, named himself QB, and also coached the team.

All these years later, Uiagalelei faces a less daunting ‘to-do’ list.

His primary task: “Be DJ.”

Smith watched hours of film on Uiagalelei after the quarterback announced he was leaving Clemson and getting into the transfer portal. He saw the arm strength and experience. Smith said he called Tigers’ coach Dabo Sweeney for a chat, too.

“(DJ has) played a lot,” Smith said. “This guy has started a bunch of games, played on big stages, can make all the throws. You can tell on tape that he’s competitive. He’s carried the ball a decent amount and runs physical and tough.”

What has Smith seen from DJ over the last two months?

“Great kid, loves the game and is ready to work. He has talent. That’s a guy I want to coach.”

The Pac-12 is loaded with gifted quarterbacks for next season. Some believe the onslaught of talent is cyclical. Others will tell you the conference programs are investing more heavily in recruiting. Others yet believe the conference’s athletic directors simply hired a series of offensive-minded coaches (i.e. Lincoln Riley, Chip Kelly, Smith, Jedd Fisch, Kenny Dillingham and Kalen DeBoer) and the quarterbacks followed.

The current anticipated Pac-12 starting QBs for 2023:

• Arizona — Jayden de Laura

• Arizona State — Drew Pyne

• Cal — Sam Jackson V

• Colorado — Shedeur Sanders

• Oregon — Bo Nix

• Oregon State — DJ Uiagalelei

• Stanford — Ari Patu

• UCLA — Dante Moore

• USC — Caleb Williams

• Utah — Cam Rising

• Washington — Michael Penix Jr.

• Washington State — Cam Ward

How do you rank them? I’d put Uiagalelei in the top-five alongside Williams, Penix Jr., Nix and Rising. That’s a new development for Oregon State and I’m interested to see how it unfolds.

My current top-six Pac-12 QBs:

1. Caleb Williams (USC)

2. Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)

3. Bo Nix (Oregon)

4. DJ Uiagalelei (Oregon State)

5. Cam Rising (Utah)

6. Jayden de Laura (Arizona)

Nix is 23 years old. So is Rising, who was born with the X-Factor that author George Plimpton once wrote about. After my top-six you’ve got a really intriguing group of returners and transfers with upside. Sanders (Colorado), Moore (UCLA), Pyne (ASU), Jackson (Cal) and Ward (WSU) could all be disruptive should they start. A few of my expected starters may get pressed for playing time, too.

Uiagalelei is an interesting study. His brother, Matayo, is a freshman defensive end on scholarship at Oregon. On weekends, DJ will sometimes drive to Eugene and pick up his younger brother for lunch or dinner. Other than that, his father said, DJ has immersed himself in football and school.

Said dad: “The only routine he has is school, football, and sleep.”

I took a look back at some of the columns I’ve written in the last couple of decades about Oregon State football. There have been some highs and lows. Some excellent passers, too. But I can’t recall a more interesting dynamic that involved an incoming quarterback and head coach. The arrival of Uiagalelei is new ground for Smith.

The Beavers have built great culture in recent years. They clearly aren’t interested in positioning the run-up to the 2023 season as Uiagalelei-palooza. In fact, part of the low-profile approach in Corvallis feels intentional. Remember, Gulbranson ended last season as the starter.

Still, I find myself thinking about Uiagalelei and I’m not alone. There will be no shortage of interest in the QB’s journey. ESPN is planning a visit to Corvallis in the spring and has already requested a sit-down interview with the transfer. So have some others. And I’m booked for a 1-on-1 talk with Uiagalelei in a couple of weeks.

Where is his head these days?

How does the change of scenery feel?

The quarterback position has long been the missing piece for Smith. It’s why I asked OSU’s coach about Uiagalelei’s progress this week.

“He’s tried to be out of the limelight and go to work,” Smith said. “He understands he has work to do.”

---

I appreciate all who read, support, subscribe and share this new, independent, endeavor with friends and families. If you’re not already a “paid” subscriber, please consider a subscription or a gift subscription for someone else:

This is an independent reader-supported project, with both free and paid subscriptions. Those who opt for the paid edition are providing vital assistance to bolster my independent coverage. Paid subscribers have full access to all of my posts.