Coming to Clemson in 2020 as a five-star quarterback, everyone kind of assumed that DJ Uiagalelei was going to be the perfect replacement for Trevor Lawrence.
Heck, when Lawrence was injured during the 2020 season, DJU played a few games and looked great. He completed about 67 percent of his passes for 914 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. The future with DJU under center looked bright.
Unfortunately, that was the best he'd ever look in a Clemson uniform.
As a sophomore, he completed just 56 percent of his passes for 2,246 yards and nine touchdowns with an inexplicable 10 interceptions. As a junior he had a much better year, completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,521 yards and 22 touchdowns with seven picks. Then he transferred to Oregon State.
In his one year with the Beavers, he passed for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns on 57 percent completions. He then transferred to Clemson's rival, Florida State, when Jonathan Smith left Oregon State for Michigan State and had a nightmare of a senior year under Mike Norvell, completing 54 percent of his passes for 1,065 yards, four touchdowns, and six picks.
On Saturday, he signed as an undrafted free agent with Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers.
Former Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei is signing an UDFA contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, per @TomPelissero.
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) April 26, 2025
There's not a ton of hope for DJU to make an NFL roster after how his college career went, especially in 2023 and 2024, but Harbaugh might be able to turn him into a serviceable backup. It feels like this is a good spot for the former Tiger.
A lot of Clemson fans are over the DJU era, especially after he transferred to Florida State, but this is still a situation worth monitoring.