Florida State is close to changing quarterbacks, and this decision seems necessary.
Coach Mike Norvell mentioned on his weekly show Monday that DJ Uiagalelei will likely miss Saturday’s game against No. 15 Clemson due to a finger injury. “It is looking like he will be unavailable this week,” Norvell said.
This means redshirt freshman Brock Glenn is set to start for the third time in two seasons. Glenn stepped in last year during the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and the Orange Bowl when star quarterback Jordan Travis was unavailable.
Norvell might have been considering switching quarterbacks anyway. The Seminoles (1-4, 1-3 ACC) updated their depth chart earlier Monday to show Uiagalelei and Glenn as co-starters in preparation for the Tigers (3-1, 2-0).
Norvell downplayed this change and wouldn’t commit to either quarterback five days before the game. He said they would assess Uiagalelei’s status throughout the week.
He also mentioned that Uiagalelei’s injury would have prevented him from finishing Saturday’s 42-16 loss to SMU. However, he stated he decided to bench Uiagalelei after his interception that was returned 82 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
In that game, Uiagalelei completed 12 of 30 passes for 222 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Glenn did not complete any of his four passes against the Mustangs, but one was dropped.
Uiagalelei is currently completing a career-low 53.8% of his passes for 1,065 yards, with four touchdowns and six interceptions. Norvell noted that the team’s struggles on offense—FSU ranks 126th nationally in scoring—are not solely about the quarterback’s performance.
“You’ve got to surround and you’ve got to help the quarterback position,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve done a good job of that consistently, and, at the end of the day, we all have to have ownership in that.”
