FSU QB DJ Uiagalelei heeds advice from role model Jordan Travis in Tallahassee transition
It’s not easy to replace an elite quarterback like Jordan Travis.
It’s also difficult to pick up where Travis left off and lead Florida State football to the national championship. These are the challenges quarterback DJ Uiagalelei faces in his last year of eligibility.
Since enrolling at FSU in January after his one-year stint at Oregon State, Uiagalelei has gotten comfortable becoming a Seminole.
Expectations remain high as FSU is coming off a 13-1 season.
FSU coach Mike Norvell saw improvements in Uiagalelei throughout camp as the Seminoles prepare for their season opener Saturday against Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Ireland.
“I think when you look in the decision-making process, where he's going with the ball, you've seen that confidence where maybe just a split second faster than where we were in the spring, and that's something I'm excited about what we're seeing," Norvell said.
This is nothing new for Uiagalelei.
As a former five-star prospect out of California, Uiagalelei was labeled the 'Chosen One' at Clemson in 2020 and expected to replace national champion and current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned.
The two seasons as a starter for Clemson were up and down. In his last game as Tiger, he was benched and replaced by Cade Klubnik in the ACC Championship.
In three seasons with the Tigers, Uiagalelei threw 5,681 yards and 36 touchdowns with a 59.8% completion rate and 17 interceptions. He entered the portal for the first time and played one season at Oregon State under Jonathan Smith, who is now the head coach at Michigan State.
There was growth then as he threw a career-best of 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns.
On Jan. 1, 2024 Uiagalelei announced that he would be transferring to FSU or his final year of eligibility. Uiagalelei has given high praise to Travis, who has moved on to the NFL after being drafted in the fifth round by the New York Jets.
Before reporting to the Jets, he spoke to Travis and embraced the advice he gave to the fifth-year senior. The best advice Travis gave to the Oregon State transfer was to simply be himself.
“He is an unbelievable guy, man,” Uiagalelei said.
“It’s more of me trying to strive to be just like him, but at the end of the day, my name is DJ Uiagalelei. I can only be myself. Jordan Travis is an unbelievable leader and teammate, and it means a lot to the program.”
In his career, Uiagalelei has thrown for 8,319 yards, 59.1 percent, 57 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. He also has rushed for 1,132 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is 30-10 as a starter.
DJ Uiagalelei earns the trust of his Florida State teammates
Trust is also important to Uiagalelei and was another piece of advice he received from Travis. Even as veteran, Uiagalelei knew he must earn the trust of his new teammates.
Earlier this week, he surprised all his teammates with custom-made headphones, courtesy of Beats by Dre before traveling to Dublin, Ireland.
He will go the extra mile to develop relationships with teammates on and off the field.
“At the end of day, man, I got to be able to earn everybody's trust in his team,” Uiagalelei said. “I got to be able to trust everybody as well.”
Uiagalelei built his chemistry with his receivers by hanging out in dorm rooms or eating out on campus.
After the spring showcase, Uiagalelei continued developing that chemistry with his new weapons, like receiver Malik Benson, Uiagalelei's transfer portal classmate.
“One thing about rhythm is really just on and off the field,” Benson said at the beginning of fall camp.
“Like to get the connection, you got to hang out outside of the facility, so during the spring, we were hanging out summertime, and you can kind of see that going into fall camp.”
FSU tight end Kyle Morlock has also connected well with Uiagalelei throughout camp. He has enjoyed building chemistry with the Oregon State transfer and has been impressed by his command of the offense.
“DJ is awesome, man,” Morlock said. “He's a he's a field general. He makes sure you've lined up right. You run in the right route, all that good stuff. He's great.”
FSU quarterback coach Tony Tokarz credited Uiagalelei for his approach since enrolling at FSU, knowing he is a one-and-done after this season. He brought a competitive mindset to the quarterback room, which includes Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek.
"For DJ to come in and kind of just assimilate into the room the way he did was pretty impressive," Tokarz said. "But it's fun to see that group grow close together and be competitive as well.”
'I think he has more tools than Jordan': EJ Manuel chimes in DJ Uiagalelei and Jordan Travis. What is his ceiling?
No, Uiagalelei is not Travis, but they are not too far off from one another.
Former FSU and NFL QB EJ Manuel compared the two from a talent level and as individuals. He recalled the time Travis struggled earlier in his FSU career and how Norvell played a role in his development.
“I think that's why the comparison is a bit unfair to DJ, because remember, three years ago, in Tallahassee, people trying to run Jordan out of town,” Manuel told the Tallahassee Democrat.
“Jordan was even considering changing positions, as well as I talked about already on TV, like you cannot talk about how important it is to have a coach who has your back, and that was Mike Norvell. Let's go back to the drawing board and put together an offense that fits Jordan’s play.”
Manuel, now an analyst for the ACC Network, expected Norvell to do the same for Uiagalelei, setting him up to succeed and introducing a style of offense that Uiagalelei can execute.
“He’s going to put together an offense that fits the player, and that, to me, is more important than skills itself," Manuel said.
Skillset-wise, Manuel views both Travis and Uiagalelei as athletic quarterbacks.
Travis was a "baller" in his eyes, and Uiagalelei has a size advantage at 6-foot-5, 252 pounds, with natural throwing abilities, which gives him a slight advantage from a talent standpoint.
“I think he has more tools than Jordan,” Manuel said. “I think if you look at the tools of this guy, he comes with arm strength, his ability to put the ball in spots where some quarterbacks can't do it, but he has to do more."
“That's why he was a five-star player coming out of high school. But there's a matter of garnering those tools and doing it the right way to where you throw a ball, where it's accurate and (receivers) can catch it. You can throw a ball 100 miles per hour, but it doesn't matter if that receiver can't handle that 100 miles per hour."
Manuel has a high ceiling for Uiagalelei. He thinks he could lead the Seminoles to a national championship for the first time since 2013 and elevate his draft status for the 2025 NFL Draft.
A storybook ending after overcoming adversity at the beginning of his career.
“I think it's a great story, man, and truly what a story could be,” Manuel said. “It goes out and just rectifies his career, and not only with the championship but just changing the narratives of who he is as a player.”
How can I watch FSU football vs. Georgia Tech
Date: Saturday, Aug. 24
Time: Noon ET
Where: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+ ($10.99 per month), WatchESPN and the ESPN app (TV provider subscription needed), fuboTV (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)
Florida State football schedule 2024
Aug. 24 vs. Georgia Tech *Dublin, Ireland at noon., ESPN
Sept. 2 vs. Boston College at 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Sept. 14 vs. Memphis
Sept. 21 vs. California
Sept. 28 at SMU
Oct. 5 vs. Clemson
Oct. 18 at Duke
Oct. 26 at (U) Miami
Nov. 2 vs. North Carolina
Nov. 9 at Notre Dame
Nov. 23 vs. Charleston Southern
Nov. 30: Florida
Dec. 7: ACC Championship
BOLD = ACC
* = Neutral Site
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei trying to follow Jordan Travis' advice
