The moment of truth is near for Bosco quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. The No. 1 prospect in the class of 2020 is down to two schools and on Sunday he will announce his decision. Fans and coaches of Clemson and Oregon will be glued to their computers on Sunday.
Which program he picks is anybody’s guess at this point. The consensus of the recruiting pundits seemed to favor Clemson after his visit there, but then he followed that with an excellent trip to Eugene. Several key factors will weigh into his decision.
Trevor Lawrence vs. Justin Herbert
Clemson will be starting true sophomore Trevor Lawrence in 2019 while Oregon will be led by returning senior Justin Herbert. As a result, at Clemson Uiagalelei would almost certainly be behind Lawrence for a year, possibly two. At Oregon he would be competing with sophomore Tyler Shough for the empty No. 1 spot.
He has noted that he is aware of this and it is a factor, but only a small part of the equation.
While on his visit to Clemson, Coach Swinney spun it as a positive, that he would have a year to watch and learn from Lawrence.
Visits
The Uiagalelei family visited Clemson the first week in April and Oregon two weeks later. In both cases it was for the school’s annual spring game.
Both games were heavily attended; Clemson had 60,000 fans at theirs, not an uncommon number for them. Oregon had 35,000 people at Autzen, an astounding amount for the Pac-12, topping the other 11 league schools combined.
During both visits he got the red carpet treatment and the full tour of the campus and facilities.
Non-football life
One thing he has repeatedly said on the subject is that football will be only part of his decision. If he were looking for the most likely path to a national championship, Clemson would be his choice. If he was looking for the better opportunity for early playing time it would be Oregon.
Both schools would develop him very well and produce an NFL-ready player.
Outside of football the considerations are much less clear cut.
Proximity
A big advantage Oregon has is location. Clemson, South Carolina is 2297 driving miles away, while Eugene is 873. His family would not likely drive to Clemson, but they could to Oregon.
In terms of flights there are direct flights from LAX to EUG all day long. LAX to Greenville always requires at least two flight segments, while LAX to Atlanta or Charlotte adds a two-hour drive at the end.
Polynesian roots
Heritage could be a factor. During his visit to Eugene, Uiagalelei met some fellow Polynesian players and it seemed to strike a chord with him.
“I got to meet (Marcus) Mariota and (Jeremiah) Masoli and that’s a dream come true for me,” he told Rivals analyst Adam Gorney afterwards. “To get to meet those two Polynesian quarterbacks, Marcus is my favorite quarterback and Jeremiah is my second favorite. Those are two people I look up to and it was great to meet them.”
Familiarity
Oregon has some familiar faces on its roster. Oregon freshman wide receiver Josh Delgado played three years at Bosco and wide receiver Kris Hutson, who committed to the Ducks on the day of their spring game, is his Bosco teammate.
“It’s hard because you grew up playing with guys like (Delgado) and Kris (Hutson), I grew up with them but then it’s like hard because sometimes I think about it and I’m like, ‘I want to play with Kris and them,’ and then I think about Clemson and I’m like, ‘Man, that’s a championship contender right there.’ It’s just different options and different ways to look at it.”
Impact
No doubt the impact on either recruiting class would be huge; landing the No. 1 prospect is a big deal. For Clemson it would be a continuation of their recent trend, like signing last year’s No. 1 recruit Trevor Lawrence. The Tigers currently have 12 commits, two of them five-stars.
For Oregon this would be enormous, the first five-star of this class, the eighth commitment. Other West Coast prospects would certainly be swayed by it. The Ducks would suddenly become an elite of the recruiting world.
In Mario Cristobal’s second year as head coach.
