Taking a risk can make or break a football player’s career. Leaving a place where they have found a home on the field to restart their college football career can be a difficult choice to make.
As the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers prepare for their final rivalry game in the Pac-12, their offensive leaders have something in common. They both took a shot at a second chance in their careers when entering the transfer portal, finding a new home on the West Coast.
DJ Uiagalelei left behind three seasons at Clemson as the Tigers’ quarterback. In December 2022, he announced that he would travel out west to play for Oregon State. This decision came shortly after entering the transfer portal and making the big move back to the West Coast. The southern California native had a 22-6 record as the Tigers’ starter but wanted a change in terms of where his career was headed.
“I wanted to go somewhere where they’re going to let me be who I am as a player, let me play free and let me go out there and just cut it loose,” Uiagalelei told ESPN. “Just somewhere where I can do what I wanted to do.”
In the 2023 season, Uiagalelei led the Beaver offense with an 8-3 record heading into the final regular season game. All three losses have been decided by no more than three points, and two out of the three teams have been ranked. Overall this season, he has 2,418 total yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.
In his third and final season as a Clemson Tiger, Uiagalelei had 2,521 total yards for 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season. This year, he has almost reached those totals before the end of the season and is averaging almost two more yards per pass. His performance so far has proved his choice to have paid off. As he nears the end of the season with one year of eligibility, he has announced to wait until playing in a bowl game to decide on whether he will be back for his final year.
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix entered the transfer portal prior to the 2022 season and made the decision to move west after three years playing for the Auburn Tigers. His father, Patrick Nix, played quarterback for Auburn and Nix went on to follow in his footsteps. However, after facing a tough 2021 season ending in an injury, he made the tough choice by moving to Oregon with two years of eligibility.
In an interview with ESPN, Nix discussed the pressure he felt while playing in the Auburn uniform and wanted to find a place that was different from where he had started his career. Oregon ended up being that place for him where he could play football free of external and internal pressures.
In his first year in the Oregon uniform, Nix had 3,593 total passing yards for 29 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Prior to the 2023 season, he announced he would be returning to the Oregon football program and use his final year of eligibility.
This year, Nix has led the Ducks to a one loss season heading into their final regular season game. Not only are they in the running for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but Nix has been in the Heisman conversation for the whole season. He has proved that a fresh start can completely turn one’s career for the better.
Leading up to one of the most important games of both teams’ seasons, the offensive leaders are coming off of two completely different games.
Oregon State battled in front of a home crowd and ended up falling short to the Washington Huskies by a score of 22-20. Uiagalelei completed 15 out of 31 passes for 164 total yards and had zero passing touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Oregon traveled to face Arizona State resulting in a commanding 49-13 win on the road. Nix owned the offense completing 24 out of 29 passes for 404 total yards and six touchdowns. It was his second-highest passing yard total of the 2023 season.
Nix heads into this highly anticipated matchup with the upper hand. The two transfer quarterbacks will play for a team victory while also proving that restarting their careers out west can lead to success.
