Following the conclusion of conference championship weekend, the next few days will have different headlines in the college football world. The transfer portal opened on Monday, leading to more than 1,000 players entering their names in just one day.
One of them is DJ Uiagalelei. The quarterback played his first three collegiate seasons with the Clemson Tigers, leading them to a Cheez-It Bowl win in 2021. He started in 27 games, going 21-6.
During his time at Clemson, Uiagalelei completed 59.9% of his passes for 5,681 yards and 36 touchdowns against 17 interceptions. He also rushed 275 times for a total of 913 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Unfortunately for him, Clemson's offense struggled at times in 2022. Against then-No. 14 Syracuse, head coach Dabo Swinney opted to bring in backup quarterback Cade Klubnik to complete the comeback, which he did. Then, in the ACC Championship Game, the true freshman started in favor of Uiagalelei.
With the Tigers already moving toward Klubnik, Uiagalelei is now pursuing a new home. As he showed flashes throughout his time at Clemson, he might still be a starter in many schools in FBS. With that being said, here are the three best transfer portal destinations for quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.
3. Florida Gators
After a promising start to the 2022 season with a big win over then-No. 7 Utah, the Florida Gators failed to keep impressing. They finished the year only 6-6, far from competing for the SEC East division title. Still, it allowed some players to get into the spotlight.
That was the case for Anthony Richardson. In his only year as a full-time starter, he completed 53.8% of his passes for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns with nine picks. On the ground, his best feature, he added 654 yards and nine scores.
Richardson decided to forego his college eligibility and enter the 2023 NFL Draft. Without their starter for next season, Uiagalelei could be a short-term solution for the Gators. The former Tiger could certainly get the starting position since he has more experience than the other options on the squad, which includes a freshman.
The former five-star recruit would remain in a big conference and likely be familiar with the offense run by coach Billy Napier, who worked with Swinney in Clemson for multiple years.
2. Oregon Ducks
Even though Oregon had some rough moments in 2022, the Ducks also had many highs. After a blowout 49-3 loss to Georgia in the opener, the team fell out of the top-25. Still, Oregon managed to bounce back and finished 9-3 with two wins versus ranked teams.
And Oregon was not the only one to have a comeback campaign. Quarterback Bo Nix transferred to the Ducks after struggling in his final year at Auburn. In 2022, he completed 71.5% of his passes for 27 touchdowns and six picks. He also had 504 rushing yards and an impressive 14 touchdowns on the ground. Nix even received some Heisman buzz at different points of the season.
If things go just as they went for Nix, Uiagalelei could revive his career in Oregon. He would be a good fit for head coach Dan Lanning's strategy that worked with Nix. Also, Lanning proved he could take a transfer quarterback and make them return to their best form almost instantly.
Playing in a stacked Pac-12 could be a good option for Uiagalelei. If he plays well, he would receive more attention than with other schools that are looking for a starting quarterback in the transfer portal.
1. UCLA Bruins
One of the biggest surprises of the 2022 season was the resurgence of the UCLA Bruins. After being unranked in the preseason, the team won its first six games and entered the Associated Press Top-25. The Bruins finished the regular season 9-3 and No. 18 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
A big part of UCLA's success was thanks to Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The quarterback had a completion rate of 69.8% for 2,883 yards and 25 touchdowns against seven picks.
With DTR set to enter the NFL Draft, UCLA will be without him for the first time since 2018. Because of that, the Bruins should pursue another starting-caliber quarterback for 2023.
If he joined UCLA, Uiagalelei would play for a head coach with NFL experience. Chip Kelly led the Philadelphia Eagles to a playoff appearance in 2013, plus another winning season in 2014.
But most importantly, Uiagalelei would be closer to home. He was born in Riverside, California and went to St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. This would allow him to be closer to his family while playing for a school that is showing some promise for the future.
Combining his return to his home state and the foundation Kelly built in 2022, UCLA would be the best destination for DJ Uiagalelei next season.