re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition

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why are we calling this thread Plague Edition right now

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Btw, I’ll have some more nuggets after this weekend. Hearing some big things

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Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Roll Tide-ings, a rundown of everything happening in Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting with Chris Kirschner. In this edition, we talk the latest with the father of top 2020 QB DJ Uiagalelei.

The rise of DJ Uiagalelei

DJ Uiagalelei (David John, Jr.) was the starting quarterback for the Upland Pop Warner Chargers at the Pee Wee level when he was in the third grade. Uiagalelei was playing alongside sixth- and seventh-graders and was by far the youngest player on the team.

The nation’s No. 1 quarterback in the 2020 class had to play alongside kids who were three or four years older than him because of his size. While he excelled, the experience of playing with kids much older than him almost made him give up football and focus on baseball, the sport he has been playing since he was 4 years old.

“I wanted to pull my son out because he was getting smashed on the field,” David Uiagalelei, DJ’s father, told SEC Country. “He would leave the field in tears. It almost scared my son away from football. He played that third-grade year and didn’t come back to football until sixth grade. He only played baseball those years in between. I didn’t force him to play, but I told him that a lot of times when you start something, it doesn’t matter if you finish last but at least you finished

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DJ Uiagalelei impressed by Bama visit

David Uiagalelei didn’t make the trip to Tuscaloosa with his son, but he made sure he called as soon as the visit was over. Uiagalelei had been looking forward to this trip for a while. He has developed a relationship with Tua and Taulia Tagovailoa, and both quarterbacks have told him what he could expect at Alabama.

His first trip to Tuscaloosa exceeded all expectations. The biggest eye-opener for him was the amount of top athletes in the program. “He walked into the weight room and said, ‘Dad, I thought I was looking at defensive ends and defensive tackles, but they were linebackers,’ ” David Uiagalelei recalled. “I can tell from what he was telling me that he could see why Alabama is the No. 1 school. Their preparation is like no other.

"To me and where we’re at, I feel like Alabama is Bosco or Mater Dei [High School]. You get the best athletes there. I feel the same way about Alabama. They have so many 5-stars and top recruits. Why wouldn’t I want my son to go there? I consider him a 5-star. No one has to tell me that my son is the type of kid who can compete with 5-stars. I’m not saying my son is better than everyone, but I chose to go to Bosco because I felt like my son needed to be challenged by top talent.”

Uiagalelei didn’t get the opportunity to be Bosco’s full-time starter until midway through his sophomore season when he put up 2,733 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. DJ has never clamored to be the starting quarterback at Bosco. He went there mainly because of a lack of proper training growing up. Bosco provided that.

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Another factor in his decision is the sport he’s been playing his entire life. Uiagalelei wants to play football and baseball in college. He’s a pitcher, right fielder and hits with power. To no one’s surprise, all of the schools recruiting him as a quarterback have told the family that he would have the opportunity to play both sports in college. It’s been done before. Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray was drafted in the first round of the MLB draft this month by the Oakland Athletics and is in line to be the Sooners’ starting quarterback this fall.

Several baseball scouts have told Uiagalelei that he has the potential to go in the first round in the 2020 MLB draft because of his size and power. The family has not decided what they would do if it comes down to getting drafted in the first round of the MLB draft and receiving a lucrative contract. Uiagalelei did visit the baseball facility in Tuscaloosa along with the football complex.

After leaving Alabama, Uiagalelei and his coaches visited Georgia, where he received an offer from the Bulldogs, and Clemson, a school that is very high on his list because Bosco mimics the Tigers offense.

But after talking with his son after his first Tuscaloosa visit, David believes Alabama will be one of DJ’s finalists. “They made such an impression on my son that I believe Alabama — if he had to make a decision and have hats on the table right now —would have a hat on the table. Trust me. I don’t see how you can’t consider them,” David said.

“As a father, why would you not want your son to go compete at that school? I know my son can compete there. He has trained and made the sacrifices necessary to have the opportunity to go to a school like that. I would hope my son considers Alabama as his place to call home. I can sit here and say that I believe Alabama is a place where my son should be.

"I like Alabama because of the coaching and what they do with those guys. How many of their players got drafted this past season? Twelve, right? I believe in those numbers. Alabama, no doubt, will be one of the schools that DJ has in the end. If he decided to go to Alabama, I wouldn’t have a problem with it because I’ve always believed that my son needs to be at a place where he’s going to be challenged by the best.”

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