Top 5 landing spots for DJ Uiagalelei in college football transfer portal

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Oct 23, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; The Notre Dame Leprechaun carries a Notre Dame monogram flag after a Notre Dame touchdown in the fourth quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman cannot go into the 2023 season without being aggressive in the portal and trying to sign a quarterback. Tyler Buchner is raw and not ready, and that was obvious before he was injured. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees was limited in what he could call because Buchner was limited.

That’s not to say that Buchner does not have tools; he does. However, the Helix High School product lost two years of high school, one to injury and another to COVID, so he has not played much football. The Irish were fortunate that Drew Pyne played as well as he did, but Notre Dame would still need to upgrade whether Pyne stayed or transferred.

Uiagalelei’s ceiling is higher than both Buchner’s and Pyne’s. The Irish are losing All-American tight end Michael Mayer to the NFL but have some young, talented receivers. Deion Colze had the best game of his young career against USC, Lorenzo Styles is a solid possession receiver, and Jayden Thomas is a young physical receiver.

Notre Dame needs a veteran quarterback who can make every throw in the playbook. DJU can do that.

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