DJ Uiagalelei Injury update: Massive blow for Mike Norvell after FSU QB reportedly undergoes surgery
The Florida State Seminoles (1-4, 1-3 ACC) faced off against their conference rivals, the No. 15 Clemson Tigers (3-1, 2-0), on Saturday in Week 6 without their star quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei. To make matters worse, reports suggest that Uiagalelei might miss the rest of the season.
He suffered a hand injury in the fourth quarter during their 16-42 loss to ACC rival SMU Mustangs last weekend.
According to 247Sports, the Seminoles' QB underwent surgery this week and could be sidelined for several weeks, potentially ending his fifth and possibly final season of college football. 247Sports' National College Football reporter, Matt Zenitz, provided an update on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
"Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei underwent surgery this week to repair his throwing hand injury and is expected to miss at the very least several weeks and potentially the rest of the season,"
With the possible season-ending injury, QB DJ Uiagalelei faces a difficult challenge ahead if he tries to apply for a medical hardship waiver which would grant him another year of eligibility due to his injury.
However, to qualify for this waiver, players must not have played in more than 30% of their team's regular season games. Since Uiagalelei has already played five games, it's unlikely he will pursue this option.
Struggles Continue for Seminoles' Transfer QB DJ Uiagalelei
DJ Uiagalelei, who transferred from Oregon State after playing the 2023 season, is struggling at Tallahassee this year. In his five starts, he has thrown for 1,065 yards, with four touchdowns and six interceptions, and has a below-average pass percentage of 53.8%.
In his last game against SMU, Uiagalelei completed 12 of 30 passes for 222 yards, with two passing touchdowns but three interceptions. Following his injury, he was replaced by backup quarterback Brock Glenn, who will be now starting games for the Seminoles.
Sophomore QB Brock Glenn played in five games last season, recording 229 yards and two interceptions with a pass completion rate of 37.3%. For the Seminoles, moving forward without an experienced signal-caller will be quite a challenge, especially with highly ranked teams like No. 8 Miami and No. 14 Notre Dame awaiting them in the coming weeks.
The Seminoles started this season with three back-to-back losses against Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Memphis. They attempted to turn things around in Week 4 by defeating California 14-9, but their 42-16 loss to the Mustangs last week and today's tough matchup against Clemson have put them in a difficult position.
So far, in the game against Clemson, the Seminoles are trailing 26-13 in the fourth quarter, with another defeat looming.