Skip to main content

Turner Impressed With Uiagalelei's Arm Strength

Former five-star recruit and quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has continued to impress coaches and teammates with his impeccable arm strength.

When the Tigers opened up spring practice back in April, one of the more compelling storylines was the battle for the backup quarterback spot behind Trevor Lawrence. 

After getting his feet wet last season, redshirt freshman Taisun Phommachanh was coming in a year wiser and with a much firmer grasp on the system. Most were expecting a tightly contested battle between him and incoming freshman D.J. Uiagalelei.

However, just over halfway into spring practice, things came to a screeching halt and the battle was put on hold until the summer. One week into fall camp, safety Nolan Turner has been quite impressed by what he has seen from the Tigers group of quarterbacks as the battle rages on.

"You know we have a super impressive group of quarterbacks back there," Turner said after Thursday's practice. "I mean obviously not everywhere you go, do you see that talent back there at quarterback, and the depth we got too."

Throughout the shortened spring and the first week of fall camp there has been one common theme when it comes to Uiagalelei. That is his extraordinary arm strength. 

It is something that continuously stands out and from one day to the next, the former five-star recruit continues to wow coaches and teammates alike. 

"D.J., I mean obviously his arm strength is super impressive," Turner said. "He can spin it. It's fun to watch. I mean he can throw the ball probably 100 yards, I don't know, but yeah, the velocity, starting to, you know, get the offense down too, so yeah, he's going to be a special player."