Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has a decision to make. The former five-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2020 can either return for another season, transfer to another program and hope that the NCAA will grant him a waiver, or enter his name into the NFL Draft.
His decision got a lot more difficult on Saturday.
Head coach Jonathan Smith is leaving Corvallis for the same position at Michigan State. The Spartans officially announced the hire one day after losing 42-0 on Black Friday.
There is a lot of excitement about the move in East Lansing, which cannot be said for those who support the Beavers. They are bummed to see Smith go.
He took over a one-win team in 2018 and turned it into a respectable program.
Oregon State won 10 games last year. It will finish this year at 8-4.
Uiagalelei was a big factor in the success this season after he transferred from Clemson. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound quarterback threw for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns while running for six on the ground.
With all of the momentum behind the program, there was a growing expectation that Uiagalelei was going to run it back. Another year in the system with Smith at the helm would have made another 10-win season very realistic for the Beavers, who will play a mostly Mountain West conference schedule next fall.
That will no longer happen. Uiagalelei may or may not stay, but Smith is gone.
The former is bummed. He made that clear.
Well 😕
— D.J. Uiagalelei on X, formerly known as Twitter
There is a chance that Uiagalelei could follow Smith to Michigan State. The Spartans don’t have a quarterback.
However, for that to happen, he would need to be approved for immediate eligibility as a two-time transfer. If not, DJ Uiagalelei would be completely stuck.