DJ Uiagalelei
War Path
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Mike Norvell had a busy offseason with the transfer portal. Now that Jordan Travis is in the NFL, Norvell signed DJ Uiagalelei to run the Seminoles’ offense.
Behind Uiagalelei at the helm will be former Alabama running back Roydell Williams, another portal acquisition for the Seminoles.
There has been a lot of action in Tallahassee in 2024 and the season hasn’t started yet. Here’s my game-by-game prediction of Florida State’s 2024 season .
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (Aug. 24): Florida State will make the trip to Dublin, Ireland for Week 0, the Seminoles will want to make a statement. I think that Florida State will win this one easily. FSU 38 GT 10.
Boston College Eagles (Sep. 2): Florida State’s home opener will be on a Monday night against Boston College. This will be the Eagles’ first game of the season. Under the new direction of Bill O’Brien, Boston College will likely still be ironing out the details, allowing the Seminoles to cruise into a W. FSU 49 BC 17.
Memphis Tigers (Sep. 14): I think Memphis will have a successful season in the AAC. However, I do not think that the Tigers will be a match for Norvell’s veteran Seminoles. Should be another home win and a 3-game streak. FSU 42 Memphis 21.
California Golden Bears (Sep. 21): This will be Cal’s first season in the ACC. Having to travel cross-country and take on a red-hot Seminoles team might not bode well for the Golden Bears. FSU 27 Cal 10
@ SMU Mustangs (Sep. 28): SMU will be another team that Florida State will introduce to the ACC. The Mustangs are known for their high-powered offense. I think that this one will be a shootout. FSU 45 SMU 41.
Clemson Tigers (Oct. 5): Clemson will be Florida State’s first true test of the season. The Tiger’s are looking to reclaim their dominance in the ACC. Home field advantage will propel the Noles. FSU 30 Clemson 24.
@ Duke Blue Devils (Oct. 18): Duke has spent the last few seasons establishing itself as more than just a basketball school. With that being said, I do not believe Duke will be a match for this year’s Seminoles in Football. FSU 35 Duke 20.
@ Miami Hurricanes (Oct. 26): This will be a road game for FSU, but playing in an NFL stadium that the Hurricanes fail to fill up is not daunting. Florida State should take this one and make it four in a row against an in-state rival. FSU 30 Miami 17.
North Carolina Tar Heels (Nov. 2): Playing this one at Doak Campbell will be a large advantage for the Seminoles, who I think will take this one by a decent margin due to the difference in talent and firepower in the Seminole’s offense. FSU 35 UNC 13.
@ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Nov. 9): The Fighting Irish are a talented team, and I think playing in South Bend will make this one even harder. I fear that Florida State will keep this one close, but fall at the end. ND 31 FSU 21.
Charleston Southern Buccaneers (Nov. 23): FSU 49 CSU 6.
Florida Gators (Nov. 30): I expect FSU to show out against The Gators. Previous matchups mean nothing in a rivalry game, but I think that the Seminoles make it three in a row in this one. FSU 31 UF 17.
With a healthy roster and no major emergencies for the program, The Seminole should have consistent success and earn themselves a trip to the College Football Playoff.
Clemson Spring
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Dabo Swinney has elevated Clemson into one of the most elite programs in the nation.
The Tigers seemed to make the College Football Playoff every season. After quarterback Trevor Lawrence was drafted #1 in the 2021 NFL Draft, we still thought they would be a top-5 team.
He was replaced by five-star QB D.J. Uiagalelei. The Tigers recruit so well they just reload rather than rebuild. Unfortunately, that was not the case last year. They were 10 – 3 but that’s not good enough for Clemson.
Uiagalelei is coming off a sophomore season that saw him rank at or near the bottom of most statistical categories in the ACC, throwing more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (9). It was a season that saw the quarterback have his share of struggles, most notably with accuracy, as Uiagalelei completed just 56% of his passes.
D.J. has lost weight since last season and hopefully that will help him move quicker. The Spring Game was April 9th so we did see some improvement on his footwork, decision making and releasing the ball quicker.
He still had issues with his accuracy, throwing several off-target passes. He completed 17-of-36 passes for 175 yards and an interception. To be fair, there were multiple dropped passes.
The five-star freshman from Texas, Cade Klubnik completed 15-of-23 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Klubnik was ranked the number one quarterback in the country in the last recruiting cycle.
“DJ is definitely our starter,” Swinney said. “He has had a great spring. He has not done anything to not be the starter.”
It might be unfair to believe D.J. would drastically improve after 15 practices. He also played behind an offensive line that was missing several starters in the Spring Game. Clemson has a talented defensive line, so they had a tough time.
This does look like a possible quarterback controversy brewing once the season starts. Swinney does feel like he can win with both quarterbacks.
“It is not often you can say that, but I have seen enough from both of those guys to know that,” Swinney said. “So, it is a good situation.”
Running back Will Shipley was really the only bright spot on offense last season. He rushed for 739 yards, 11 touchdowns and averaged 5 yards per carry. He also had 16 catches for 116 yards. Shipley and the number 2 back Kobe Pace had offseason procedures, so they did not play in the Spring Game.
The only other scholarship running back on the roster was Phil Mafah from Grayson (GA).
“I thought it would allow me to just show that I could be the guy out there,” Mafah said. “I could do it just like they could, and they just allowed me to show off what I could do and help bring up the others.”
Position coach C.J. Spiller and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said Mafah has earned more carries for the 2022 season. Now it looks like the Tigers will have three reliable backs next season.
The final score of the Spring Game was White beat Orange 15 – 7.
