By Tony Thomas
We are just days away from opening day of the transfer portal and players continue to enter their names on the availability list for teams looking for the “next” Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, or Michael Penix, Jr.
Here, I profile three players who are looking for the right team, the right system, and success on the gridiron.
QB D.J. Uiagaleilei
Oregon State Beavers
6-4, 252 lbs
A former 5-star prospect and Clemson signal-caller, D.J. Uiagaleilei leaves Oregon State after just one season. It should not be a surprise really, the PAC-12 is down to the PAC-2 and head coach Jonathan Smith left the Beavers to take the head coaching job at Michigan State.
As the starter at Oregon State, D.J. threw for 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven INTs and helped lead OSU to an 8-4 record. He completed 57% of his passes. In addition, he rushed for 219 yards and six more scores. Ironically, those are the similar types of numbers (2521 yards, 22 TDs, seven INTs, 62%) that was the catalyst for D.J.’s departure from Clemson.
There were flashes of brilliance for D.J. this season. In the season opening win against San Jose State, he accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). Against Cal, he totaled five passing touchdowns, going 19 of 25 (76%) for 275 yards.
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At one point around mid-season, D.J. did not throw an INT over a five week stretch and threw 12 touchdown passes. The Beavers went 4-1 during that period.
But he had his low points as well, as the Beavers lost their final two games to Top 5 opponents. In a two-point loss to Washington, D.J. completed just 48% of his passes (15 of 31) for 164 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs. In the “Civil War” against the Oregon Ducks, D.J. completed 54% of his passes for 220 yards, one TD and one INT.
Possible destinations for D.J., who is a west coast guy, include Florida State, Oregon, UCLA, Kentucky, and Washington. Another possibility could be that he reunites with Smith at Michigan State.
OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson
San Diego State Aztecs
6-6, 310 lbs
Crenshaw-Dickson started approximately 36 games over the last three seasons. He was a preseason 3rd Team All-MWC selection. In 2021, Crenshaw-Dickson allowed just one sack in 403 passing attempts for the Aztecs.
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Teams interested in Crenshaw-Dickson include Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, N.C. State, Purdue, Louisville, TCU, and Cal.
WR Ja’Mori Maclin
North Texas Mean Green
5-11, 183 lbs
A two-year starter for the Mean Green, Maclin posted 73 catches for 1,384 yards and 13 touchdowns in 26 games. This season he hauled in 57 passes for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns. Maclin scored at least one receiving touchdown in each the first eight games and recorded four games of over 100 yards receiving, averaging 17 yards per catch.
https://twitter.com/MeanGreenFB/status/1718388825066811674
Once opposing defenses caught on to his talent and figured out how to stop him, Maclin was held out of the end zone in each of the last four games. Maclin’s high game for this season was the game against Temple in which he caught six passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
For his efforts, Maclin was named 2nd Team All-AAC.
Teams looking to secure Maclin’s services include Colorado, Texas A&M, Cal, South Carolina, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Penn State, and LSU.
