DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State Beavers Quarterback

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One-year upgrade requires financing, qualifying, device and upgrading in good condition after six months with half paid off. Alrighty, we continue this as the Zach Gelb Show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. What a monster weekend for college football. We're getting set to preview all the matchups. And coming up on Saturday at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Pacific is a matchup of two Pac-12 teams inside the top 25, both 3-0. And that is Oregon State going to Pullman to do battle with Washington State. And now joining us is the quarterback of the Oregon State Beavers. And that, of course, is D.J.

Ouyeungelele. D.J., it's Zach Gelb here in New York City. Appreciate the time. How are you? Man, I'm doing good, brother.

Appreciate you having me on the show, man. Well, thanks so much for joining us. So, new team, new start for you after coming over from Clemson. You get off to a 3-0 start. Just what do you take away from the last three weeks? Yeah, no, I feel like we started off good. I feel like our offense has been clicking really good. I feel like our defense has done an unbelievable job giving us the ball back. I feel like we're doing a good spot right now at 3-0.

Doesn't got work to do. I feel like we got more stuff in the tank we can get better at. But that's every team, man. So, we're excited coming in to be able to play against Washington State. A great team, a great defense, great offense. Should be an exciting game, man.

I'm excited for it. It looks like it's been a seamless transition so far. I know you got to earn the trust of your teammates. They got to trust you as well.

It goes both ways. Just how comfortable are you so far in this new setting, even though you said there's still work to do? Yeah, no, man. I'm comfortable. I'm excited, man. I feel like we have a great team around me. I got great receivers, great offensive lines, great side ends, great running backs. I have a really good coaching staff behind me. I feel like we do a really good job all gelling and working together. So, I'm real comfortable right now, man. I feel like I'm in a good spot. Definitely want to continue to keep getting better.

I feel like there's stuff I can get better at. So, each and every week, man. Just want to continue to keep getting better each and every week. How would you describe this offseason? You know, going to a new school, trying to redefine yourself as a quarterback. What would you describe what this offseason was like for you? For me, man, it was exciting.

It was fun, man. Getting to come here. It's a new offense, a new system, a new place. Getting to be here in a new city. It was exciting, man.

It's fun for me, man. First start. Got to learn a new offense. Got to learn a lot from the coaches here. It's been exciting, man.

The whole process. It's been great, man. Oregon State is a wonderful place to be here, man.

Excited. I'm happy to be a Beaver. I love Fort Alice, man. It's a dope spot. What has impressed you the most or maybe surprised you a little bit about Oregon State? I would probably say it's how chill it is, man. The coaching staff is real cool, chill. The coaching staff is similar to how I kind of am. The guys here, man, they let us play. They do a really good job explaining the offense, going over a piece of cues and making sure we're all on the right, same page. They just let us go out there and just play and have fun, man. It's a great offense to play in. It's a great coaching staff to be around, man. A great group of guys to be around, man. I love the teammates here, man. Blue collarmen is out of here. I mean, that's probably my favorite part. Talking to D.J.

Leungelay right now. So, there's always a gamble. There's always an unknown when you get into the transfer portal and go to a new school. What made you think that Oregon State was going to be a good fit for you?

Yeah, no. Like you said, man, it was definitely an unknown. But, yeah, I feel like Coach Smith is a great head coach, a great guy, great coach. And I was real comfortable with him talking on the phone. Before him talking on the phone, I felt like this was one of the places I wanted to be at.

It's my top spot. I wanted to be at Oregon State. Love what they did on offense. Love the guys returning. I feel like we had a good coaching staff. So, it's been everything I've hoped for and more, man.

It's been a smooth, great transition being here. You take a look at Coach Smith. Clearly, it's his school. He's the head coach.

But he also played quarterback there. When you look back at your relationship so far, how would you describe it with what you've been able to really learn from one another the last few months? For me, man, he's a good guy, man. Super cool dude. Hella chill, man. He lets the quarterbacks go out there and play.

Make our own decisions. He's the sweetest here and there, man. But he doesn't over coach. He just gives us some words here and there, man. But he's a smart coach, man. When he needs a coach, he steps in and tells us what we need to do. But he's a good guy, man. I just appreciate him for being super chill and being an open coach and just being super open with the quarterbacks and especially me, man.

He's a dope guy, man. I'm happy to play for him. Yeah, I saw something that you said, DJ Ungolais, over the summer to Bruce Feldman that you didn't think Clemson played to your strengths and that you were looking to go somewhere that plays to your strengths. I'm just wondering, how does Oregon State play to the strengths of one DJ Ungolais? I think it starts with the coaching staff, man.

They do a really good job, man. Coach Linger does an unbelievable job explaining the offense, explaining the game plan and game planning really well. I feel like he does a really good job explaining, getting my thoughts and needs, what I want, and game planning for the whole offense. I think he does a really good job game planning around our skill positions, our running backs, our receivers, and just helping the offense be able to play the best of our abilities, man. So it's been really good.

Super fun to play for him. What kind of QB do you still think you could be? Man, I think for me, man, I feel like I'm just scratching a circle.

I think sky's the limit still. For me, man, I'm trying not to see where I could be at, but for me, man, I'm just trying to put my head down and just trying to get better each and every day, man. Godwin, who knows what he has for my career and my future, but I just want to be able to trust him each and every step of the way, man.

Just put my head down and work for him. You were supposed to be a star at Clemson. We all remember the Notre Dame game.

Obviously, for both parties, it didn't go the way that you guys envisioned it. What did you learn from being at Clemson that maybe makes you a better quarterback today? Yeah, man, I feel like at Clemson, man, it was a true blessing and an honor to be able to be a Clemson Tiger. A place I graduated from, a place I love. A lot of those teammates, man, I still keep in contact with. For me, man, it was a great spot, and I loved it there.

I love swinging all the coaches. It was just a good place for me, man. I made a lot of friends, learned a lot of stuff.

Time didn't, I guess things didn't go out like what I planned for or what I hoped for, but I'm at a great spot here at Oregon State. I'm able to play with some great teammates, some great coaches, and I just want to be able to keep getting better each and every game here. People are going to doubt you. That's just part of the game. What do you say to people that are writing off DJ Ongole as a college football player and a quarterback? I mean, I ain't got too much to say to them. For me, man, I can't control what people say about me.

I don't really control my actions and how I play. So, I mean, for me, man, I don't really listen to what people say too much. I'm not really focused on what other people's opinions they have on me, man. I'm just trying to focus on myself and the people in this facility, man. That's all you can do. That's all you can do in life, man. You can't really just dwell on what other people have to say. I mean, a lot of people are going to say what they want to say, and that's totally fine, man.

That's the opinion, but you got to be able to know yourself and know what you're worth, man, and just continue to keep getting better each and every day. Yeah, I'm just wondering, was a story like Jalen Hurts inspirational to you? Someone that was at Alabama and then had to go to Oklahoma and then wrote a new story for him.

Was the Heisman Trophy Finals. Do you look at stories like that for inspiration? No, man. I think, definitely, man.

I think Jalen Hurts' story and his testimony to who he is as a person and where he's been at in his career, man. You look at him now, man. He's unbelievable.

He's a starter. The Eagles just played in the Super Bowl last year, man. From where he was in college to now, man, you can see the type of growth he's been as a person and as a player, man.

So, hopefully one day I can be able to be damn near close to that as well. Yeah, who are some of the quarterbacks that you kind of look up to that are in the pros right now? I feel like, man, honestly, all of them, I mean, they're in the pros for a reason to be able to watch those guys and see that, but a couple guys, man, I look up to and see that, for me, I like Aaron Rodgers a lot. I mean, I'm tough that he just, man, just hurt himself this year.

I was super excited to see him play with the Jets. Josh Allen. I feel like all three of those guys do a really good job, man. I mean, I can name countless numbers of quarterbacks in the NFL, do great jobs like Kirk Cousins. I'm a big fan of Brock Purdy, man, what he's doing with the Niners.

I probably say those guys right now, man. I love what they're doing. What do you like so much about Brock Purdy, just wondering? Love the offense he plays in, man. Love the Niners offense.

I feel like similar to what we do here. And, man, he's a gamer, man. I feel like he's done an unbelievable job in there, just embracing the system, going out there, making smart decisions, making some hell of some plays out there, man. So, it's been good to see him do that.

I'm excited for him in the future. You've played in a lot of tough environments. Pullman is crazy. That's where you're going this weekend to go up against Washington State. How do you kind of prepare for an environment like that? Man, honestly, man, you've got to be able to know your game plan through and through. You're able to make sure you're on your cues going into the stadium. Obviously, you know it's going to be a loud, it's going to be a rowdy environment, but I'm excited, man. Playing in those places, man, that's what you wished for as a kid. To be able to play in cool places like Pullman and Washington State, man, so I'm excited to be able to play there, man. It's going to be a great atmosphere.

And, man, both of your offenses are really humming. This should be a high-scoring game. Yes, sir, man. Hopefully, man. Hopefully, we'll see, man. Hopefully, going into the game, man. It'll be an exciting game, man. They've got a great quarterback on their side and great offense, so it should be a great game to watch, man.

Wrap it up with D.J. Ungolay, the quarterback at Oregon State. The Beavers 3-0, ranked 14th in the country, going to Pullman this weekend to do battle up against an undefeated Washington State team who's ranked 21st. You look at the Pac-12.

Holy smokes. I know it's the final year of it as we know it, but these quarterbacks are really something. Who's jumped out to you so far in the Pac-12, maybe, after you get home from your games and you check up on the conference? Yeah, no, I feel like, man, overall, man, I think top to bottom, man, there's some really good quarterbacks in the Pac-12. I was about to say, I mean, from all 12 teams, it's a really good quarterback.

Every team has a really good quarterback. I think Cameron Ward at Washington State, I think he's done an unbelievable job. Like Michael Tennick, he's done an unbelievable job.

Caleb Williams, Shadera Sanders, man. I'm excited for Colorado, man. I'm excited to see what they're doing over there. Coach Diem has done a great job turning that place around, man.

D and 3 and 0, man, they're an exciting team to watch, man. All the people on the sideline, that place looks crazy, so I feel like there's been a lot of quarterbacks. Laura, I feel like she's done a good job. I feel like Dante Moore has done a pretty good job being a freshman at UCLA. I mean, I think it's quarterbacks all around the Pac-12 that have done an unbelievable job.

I'll just name it a few. What type of team do you think you have this year at Oregon State? I think we have a good team, man, but only time will tell, man. I think going into conference play, we're about to find out who we are as a team.

We're about to define who we are as a team, so it's going to be exciting, man, to see how this team is going through the future. Well, I've enjoyed the time today. I really do appreciate it. I'll let you get back to preparing for Washington State. Thanks so much for doing this, and we'll talk again soon. Man, thank you, brother.

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