UCLA Football the Odds-On Favorite to Land Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei

According to Bookies.com, the Bruins have the best chance to bring in the former five-star recruit with Southern California roots.

The buzz is building between the Bruins and one of the biggest names in the transfer portal.

Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei entered the NCAA transfer portal Monday after much speculation, and the rumors haven't slowed down since. Bookies.com released hypothetical odds on where the former top recruit will spend the 2023 season, and UCLA football was the leader at +250 with an implied probability of 28.7%.

Oregon ranks second with +400 odds, followed by Virginia at +500, Auburn at +700, Florida and Oregon State at +1000 and Mt. San Antonio's at +5000.

Uiagalelei was a five-star recruit coming out of St. John Bosco (CA) in 2020, coming in as the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. As a freshman, Uiagalelei backed up eventual No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, then he took over as Clemson's starter in 2021.

The Tigers went 21-5 with Uiagalelei at the helm, but he was unable to guide them back to the College Football Playoff after the program had made it six years in a row behind Deshaun Watson, Kelly Bryant and Lawrence. After posting a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2021, the uneven Uiagalelei was benched multiple times in 2022 in favor of true freshman Cade Klubnik.

While he strung together some big-time performances this fall – such as his five-touchdown outing against Wake Forest and his near-perfect game in a win over Florida State – Uiagalelei finished the year with a 60.7 passer rating in a loss to South Carolina in the regular season finale and a 56.8 passer rating against North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game before getting pulled two series in.

In 26 starts the past two seasons, Uiagalelei recorded 4,767 yards, 31 touchdowns, 17 interceptions with a 58.7% completion percentage and a 121.7 passer rating. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound signal-caller also added 853 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground in that time.

Uiagalelei is from Southern California, and the Bruins already have three of his high school classmates on their roster – receiver Logan Loya, linebacker JonJon Vaughns and linebacker Jake Newman. UCLA has recruited St. John Bosco well under coach Chip Kelly, who also happens to have worked with college quarterbacks as successful as Marcus Mariota and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

With Thompson-Robinson leaving this offseason after five years in Westwood, the Bruins will have to make a change at starting quarterback for the first time since 2018. Former Washington transfer Ethan Garbers is one of the in-house options, having backed up Thompson-Robinson for the past two seasons, while former four-star recruit Justyn Martin could make a push for the job as well after redshirting his true freshman year.

If Kelly elects to bring in a transfer to replace Thompson-Robinson, Uiagalelei could be an option.

Uiagalelei also has a younger brother, Matayo, who is a five-star edge rusher in the 2023 recruiting class. Although UCLA has extended a scholarship offer to the younger Uiagalelei brother, they are not expected to compete with Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Alabama or the other top programs vying for his commitment., regardless of where DJ ends up.

Click here to check out All Bruins' 2023 transfer portal tracker

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