MAKING THE CASE: Will it be Clemson or Oregon for D.J. Uiagalelei
There have been 50 five-star quarterbacks in the Rivals.com era dating back to 2002. There have been five No. 1 overall quarterbacks.
D.J. Uiagalelei is the latest one. The No. 1 prospect from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco makes his commitment this weekend and he will decide between Clemson and Oregon.
He’s 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and he has been outstanding at every event for years, earning the top spot in the 2020 class because of his size, arm strength, accuracy, leadership ability and so much more that goes into making Uiagalelei an incredibly special prospect.
The other No. 1 quarterbacks in the Rivals era are Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State), Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) and Vince Young (Texas).
Over the last few months and after many visits, Uiagalelei has narrowed his choices to the Tigers and the Ducks.
A recent trip to Clemson was outstanding as he continued to build a special relationship with the Clemson coaching staff on and off the field. He took his parents to campus this time and they absolutely loved the trip. There could be a pretty perfect transition there, too, as Trevor Lawrence would have one more season to play before he’s off to the NFL and Uiagalelei could step in and compete for the starting job.
Right after his Clemson visit, Uiagalelei and the family went to Oregon one more time. He also has a tremendous bond with that staff and there’s no doubt continuing the Polynesian tradition of quarterbacks there will play a factor. Meeting Jeremiah Masoli and Marcus Mariota on this last trip was huge for the five-star quarterback.
We are not asking Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell to pick which school Uiagalelei will choose. Instead, the question is as a five-star quarterback and the No. 1 overall recruit where does Uiagalelei rank to him among those other QBs in the Rivals era?
FARRELL'S TAKE
“I would say fourth ahead of Clausen but behind the rest. Lawrence is the best QB I’ve ever scouted and Vince Young was a freaky athlete who could have been a college and NFL star at safety as well as quarterback. I’d put Pryor next at No. 3 because he was such an athletic freak and a bigger version of Young, and then Uiagalelei fourth because of his size and arm strength. I was a big fan of Clausen as well but he didn’t have the size, arm or freaky athleticism of the others. DJ is a great player but he’s up against some amazing players at No 1 overall.”
