Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei signs with The Battle's End NIL collective
Florida State landing quarterback DJ Uiagalelei during the winter transfer portal was one of the biggest headlines in college football. Now the Seminoles quarterback announced that he’s officially part of The Battle’s End, the Seminoles’ focused NIL collective.
The terms of the deal were not released, but this is the second NIL deal Uiagalelei announced since arriving in Tallahassee. Last month, Uiagalelei was part of the campaign that featured the top players in college football announcing they were part of EA Sports College Football 25.
Uiagalelei has the 24th-highest On3 NIL Valuation in college football. His valuation is No. 43 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.
The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster Value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Uiagalelei’s addition at Florida State and value as a star quarterback is a big reason why the valuation is sky high.
“Despite what some fans and media believe, there is not an unlimited amount of money being deployed to manage rosters,” said Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3. “Any model – whether it’s today’s broken NCAA ‘student-athlete’ construct or media rights sharing through employment, which is almost a certainty in the near future – demands efficiency based on the athlete and school knowing the athlete’s respective market value.”
Florida State excited about DJ Uiagalelei
DJ Uiagalelei has thrown for just over 8,300 yards to go with 57 touchdowns during his career. He has also rushed for over 1,100 more on the ground with 21 more scores with his legs. Those have helped him post a record of 30-10 overall during his time as a starter at Oregon State and Clemson.
Of all the options for Florida State, the Seminoles went with Uiagalelei to be their QB1 in 2024. And through the early practices, it appears FSU made the right choice.
“I thought today was his best day,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said after the second scrimmage in the spring. “He’s had some good days in spring practice, but today I mean, he operated at a very, very high level. And you saw the confidence, the ball getting out, where it’s going. Even a couple of throwaways.
“I could tell he was in control of what he was being asked to do today. You know, we’ve been pretty aggressive with our installation, so it’s been trying to throw a lot on him. I liked how he responded, how he reacted. It’s exciting to see that progression.”