It’s been a torrid time at Florida State for several reasons this season, but could head coach Mike Norvell be about to take action at quarterback and bench DJ Uiagalelei? If reports on the internet are to go by, that could potentially happen for the Seminoles’ home game against Clemson in Week 6.
Now, fans will automatically conclude it’s due to his horrendous start to the season. However, Uiagalelei picked up a finger injury against SMU, which, according to Mike Norvell, has resulted in him being evaluated this week to see if he can play on Saturday.
If Norvell Does Bench DJ Uiagalelei, Will it Get Better?
In five games as the Florida State quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei has thrown four touchdowns and six interceptions, three of which came this past Saturday against SMU. Per ESPN, he is throwing under a 55% completion percentage and below a 50.0 QBR in every game.
When the depth chart came out today, and next to Uiagaleleis’ name, it said “or Brock Glen,” many presumed it was due to the form, and head coach Mike Norvell was looking to bench DJ Uiagalelei. However, the injury to the Californian-born quarterback may mean he won’t feature against Clemson.
DJ Uiagalelei is now listed as an "or" for the starting job on the FSU depth chart. He's listed as "or" with Brock Glenn, who replaced him in the SMU game.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 30, 2024
Glenn replaced Uiagalelei on Saturday after this third interception of the game. He threw the ball four times, completing zero of those. In his previous appearances, Glenn hasn’t shown enough to suggest he can take the team forward. In his two starts last season when Jordan Travis was injured, Glenn threw the ball 51 times, completing 19, with two interceptions and zero touchdowns.
All we can do as fans is read between the lines, and it’s not an easy situation to guess, but for Norvell to bench DJ Uiagalelei, he would need to believe in the backup. The question is, does he have that? Glenn would have come in much sooner than game 5 for the Noles if he had shown enough during practice. I understand we don’t know that, but it does point to the likelihood that is the case—taking an injury to Uiagalelei for a quarterback change.
A high percentage of Power 5 teams whose quarterbacks were performing at this level would have been benched against Memphis. On to game six, and DJ still could be the starting quarterback if he comes through his injury this week if Mike Norvell’s press conference is to go by.
We will see how the week plays out, but it may be good for the confidence if Norvell does bench DJ Uiagalelei or if he misses the game through injury. Florida State faces a Clemson team that looks to be picking up form, having seven sacks in their last three games. The offensive line has not helped DJ, as he mainly needs a clean pocket, predominantly being a pocket passer.
The likelihood for FSU fans is that Norvell will have to keep playing Uiagalelei this season, no matter how bad it gets. It could be a long season, but one thing is sure: Norvell must get it right next season or face the chop.
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