Former Clemson Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has become a surprising NFL player to watch.
Not long ago, the Clemson Tigers were excited about the future of quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. He appeared to be the heir apparent to Trevor Lawrence who could keep the program on track to being a National Championship contender.
Unfortunately, those hopes and expectations never became a reality on the field.
Uiagalelei ended up playing for three years at Clemson. His best season came in 2022 when he completed 62.1 percent of his pass attempts for 2,521 yards, 22 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while also running for 545 yards and seven scores.
Following his tenure with the Tigers, Uiagalelei went on to play the 2023 season at Oregon State and threw for 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He finished his college career at Florida State in 2024 with 1,065 passing yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions.
With the way his college career went down, the NFL was considered a long shot for Uiagalelei. However, he seems to have turned things around a bit.
ESPN has named the former Tigers quarterback as the biggest surprise player on the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2026 NFL offseason.
“With Justin Herbert throwing little this offseason while focusing on footwork and mechanics, Uiagalelei has taken advantage of his reps,” ESPN’s Kris Rhim wrote.
“The former undrafted free agent has been one of the Chargers’ most impressive players, thriving on intermediate and deep throws. If that carries into training camp, Uiagalelei could challenge Trey Lance for the backup job.”
Whether his recent improvements will turn into a long-term NFL career remains to be seen. However, it's a positive sign that Uiagalelei may have figured things out.
Even though things didn't go as planned during his career at Clemson, fans are still hoping to see Uiagalelei find success. There has never been a doubt about his potential and talent. It has simply been a question about whether or not he can put it all together.
This is obviously a very positive update about the former Tigers standout. Uiagalelei has more work to do, but he's off to a good start this offseason with the Chargers.
