Is DJ Uiagalelei a senior? Beavers QB's draft eligibility explored
Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has enjoyed a considerable amount of time playing college football. He impressed scouts and coaches during his time at St. John Bosco High School and was considered a five-star quarterback prospect. Uiagalelei committed to playing for the Clemson Tigers in 2019 and enrolled in the program in January 2020.
Uiagalelei played 10 games in his freshman season as a backup to Trevor Lawrence. However, he got the opportunity to start in two of them. He recorded 914 passing yards and five passing touchdowns that season. When Lawrence left for the NFL in 2021, coach Dabo Swinney named DJ Uiagalelei as Clemson's starting quarterback.
Uiagalelei was the starting QB for Clemson both in 2021 and 2022. He led the Tigers to 10-3 and 11-2 overall records in the two seasons as a starter and put up 4,767 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns. However, after being benched for Cade Klubnik for the ACC championship game, Uiagalelei entered the transfer portal and joined the Oregon State Beavers this season.
Is DJ Uiagalelei a senior?
So, is DJ Uiagalelei a senior? The 22-year-old QB is currently in his fourth season of college football. But he has one extra year of eligibility because of the NCAA's decision not to count the COVID-19 pandemic year. Thus, this makes Uiagalelei a junior-class quarterback for Oregon State.
Coach Jonathan Smith named Uiagalelei the starting quarterback when he arrived at the program over Ben Gulbranson and Aidan Chiles. He's been having a pretty decent debut season with the Beavers. With him under center, the team has won five games while recording only one loss (against Washington State) this season.
In six games, Uiagalelei has recorded 1,307 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns with four interceptions. If he can help the Beavers continue winning, they have a shot at the Pac-12 championship this year.
DJ Uiagalelei 2024 NFL draft prospect
The Oregon State quarterback will be eligible to declare for the NFL draft next year. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 235 lbs, Uiagalelei has a 40-yard dash time of 4.87 seconds. Along with his prototypical QB size, he also possesses good pass accuracy. But he still needs to improve his game during tight windows.
Uiagalelei is one of the top 20 quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft room, and teams may be interested in acquiring him in the later rounds of the draft. He is likely to be picked after round three or four or may also end up as an undrafted free agent signing.