Former 5-star local prodigy QB could be elevated due to Justin Herbert's injury

DJ Uiagalelei, a local legend, growing up in the Inland Empire, playing his high school football at St John Bosco, found his way back in Southern California many years later, with an opportunity to make a real impact in an NFL game.

Former 5-star local prodigy QB could be elevated due to Justin Herbert's injury

DJ Uiagalelei's road to this point is filled with perseverance

Uiagalelei, after his prolific high school career, was touted by 247 Sports as a five-star prospect, No. 2 overall national recruit. This led to a plethora of offers from elite schools, with Uiagalelei eventually choosing Clemson.

At Clemson, Uiagalelei was never able to live up to the hype, with the peak being his freshman stint, where he had five touchdowns to zero interceptions. His sophomore and junior seasons were not up to expectations, eventually leading to "DJU" transferring to Oregon State, where he performed well enough, allowing for another transfer to Florida State a season after.

Florida State was Uiagalelei's final year in college football, a season where he threw four touchdowns to six interceptions, coupled with a season-ending injury in the middle of the season. A disappointing final year for the Southern California local prodigy.

This poor collegiate performance completely killed Uiagalelei's chance at becoming an NFL draft selection in the 2025 draft. The Chargers decided to give the local kid a chance as an undrafted free agent. A choice that had many questioning and criticizing the Chargers for their decision to give one of their 90 roster spots to a player who did not show nearly enough in college.

With Uiagalelei on what is likely his last chance to play football, he impressed the Chargers mightily during the offseason and preseason process. A very surprising development, but a welcome one.

DJ Uiagalelei completes a 51-yard deep ball!

Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/R5sLOJCyWZ
— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2025

His preseason performance (in limited action) yielded 244
yards on 35 attempts with two touchdowns and an interception. While this was not enough to win the QB2 job, he effectively won the QB3 job over veteran Taylor Heinicke, finding his way on the Chargers' practice squad.

He has been on the practice squad since cut down day, with his opportunity possibly on the way with a Justin Herbert injury and his uncertainty on primetime.

The moment has come, considering unfortunate injuries

As it has been well reported, the Chargers' starting QB, Herbert, is officially listed as questionable for Monday Night Football's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. While reports note he is likely to play, having more insurance amid a playoff push is crucial.

Insert Uiagalelei to be the QB3 behind Trey Lance on game day, giving the Chargers more than enough insurance to finish the game. A possible full-circle moment for the former 5-star Southern California prodigy QB, who could suit up for his first NFL game with the Southern California NFL team.

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