The Beavers got their quarterback

DJ Uiagalelei, Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., Caleb Williams and more are set to make the 2023 Pac-12 season one for the quarterbacks.

Jonathan Smith got his quarterback.

Reports trickled in Thursday evening that Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei will head to Corvallis. And while an official announcement has yet to surface, it’s a perfect marriage. The type of move fans dream about, the type they attempt to will into existence. The type which, quite honestly, makes too much sense and seldom comes to fruition. 

Smith has been building this Oregon State program for a chance at something like this — the chance at a 5-star talent, the caliber of athlete which often overlook Smith’s Beavers. And yet with a 10-3 season in the rearview, and with an upward trajectory, the operation in Corvallis has become undeniable. 

As Dan Lanning and his staff snatched up national headlines on Signing Day, Smith stood back, surveyed the field, and let it all play out. Then he secured a player that should have a bigger impact this season than any of the players Oregon locked up on Wednesday. 

No cigar needed.

Oregon State doesn’t get players like this. Uiagalelei was a top-10 recruit nationally in 2020. A recruit of his stature hasn’t come through this program ever. 

He spurned the Ducks in the 2020 recruiting cycle after they went all in for his services, and after a three-year detour in South Carolina, he instantly becomes the face of Smith’s ascending Beavers — who have signed just one 5-star athlete in school history (Isaac Seumalo.) 

And if the Bo Nix move taught us anything, it’s not to discount that 5-star talent. Hell, if Nix hadn’t announced his return to Eugene, Uiagalelei may have brought things full-circle and teamed up with his 5-star brother Matayo and the Ducks.

As December rolled on, the list of “big names” on the quarterback transfer market dwindled. Would Smith be content running it back with Ben Gulbranson in 2023? Would the 4-star freshman Aiden Chiles get a shot? 

Nope. Smith was aiming higher. 

Things weren’t always rosy between Uiagalelei and the Tigers. Detractors will point to his 2021 season (nine touchdowns, 10 interceptions) and his late season benching this year. But after the fan base turned against him and bore their teeth down on him entering 2022, the 6-foot-4 junior tossed 22 touchdowns, ran for seven more and helped guide Clemson to an 11-2 season. 

He played in the shadows of recent Tigers phenoms Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence and never looked completely at ease in a program that has as high expectations in that position as any program nationally. 

At Clemson, he bore the full brunt of the responsibility. 

Oregon State meanwhile won 10 games while putting zero responsibility on the quarterback’s shoulders. The signal caller was a mere afterthought in Corvallis. 

If you split the difference this season, then look out. The Beavers could finally have that marquee play-maker that helped transform so many of their conference peers’ outlooks last season. 

Nix, Michael Penix, Caleb Williams, Shedeur Sanders, Jayden de Laura, Cam Ward — add Uiagalelei’s name to the pot.

The Beavers faithful will give him unconditional love. He’ll be nurtured in Smith’s offense behind a stout line and have a burgeoning star in rising-sophomore running back Damien Martinez bringing up his rear. 

In Corvallis, he’s out of the shadows of those Clemson greats. Gulbranson is the measuring stick now, all 1,455 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions of him. Gulbranson threw for over 200 yards twice in nine games. Uiagalelei, with his 5-star arm talent and ability to traverse defenses with his legs, blasts the ceiling open and gives Smith, the former quarterback, a few extra pages in the playbook to work with, you’d imagine. 

There are plenty of question marks for the Beavers. They lose a host of impact players who not only had an understanding of Smith’s vision, but went through the pain of those lost years. But the biggest piece of the puzzle has slid into place. 

The Beavers got their quarterback. 

— Shane Hoffmann
@shane_hoffmann