Let’s not kid ourselves: On Saturday at Reser Stadium, all eyes will be on Clemson transfer QB DJ Uiagalelei.

When he’s on the field, when he’s off the field. When he’s passing, when he’s running. Sitting or standing. What’s that he’s drinking? What’s that he’s wearing? Is he biting his nails? Are those his cuticles? Yikes. Why does he look so nervous?

It’s exhausting to think about, and it hasn’t even happened yet. You just know it will.

Is there a quarterback in the country who enters a new system with such a massive question mark? This isn’t Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman — a finished product — going to Notre Dame, which isn’t much of one. This isn’t Michael Penix II last year, going to Washington and trying to inject some life into his career, or Caleb Williams, following his head coach to Heritage Hall in search of a Heisman Trophy, which he ended up getting.

This is enigma meeting clarity, mystery meeting certainty. Coming off a 10-win season, the program’s first since 2006, and with a trajectory pointing almost straight up, we have a pretty good picture of what we’ll get out of Oregon State. We have no clue what we’re going to get out of Uiagalelei. Will he live up to the promise of his once-5-star rating? Or will he be the veteran who was benched in lieu of a freshman?

If he’s more former than latter, and if he can siphon off some of what makes Jonathan Smith so special, the Beavers have something special in store for their fans. And it starts Saturday.

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That is, if Uigalelei even starts Saturday.

In just the latest great call in what is quickly becoming a coaching career full of them, Smith opened spring camp with incumbent starter Ben Gulbranson still entrenched as the No. 1 QB. Stats be damned — when a player leads a team to a 7-1 record and a bowl win in 8 starts — that guy deserves the first huddle.

Gulbranson passed for 1,455 yards and 9 scores with 5 interceptions last year, topping 200 passing yards just twice. Yes, those are pedestrian stats. And, yes, Gulbranson did not display the arm strength or the decisiveness to make me think he’ll double those numbers.

But he stepped in for Chance Nolan and barely skipped a beat. His lone loss as a starter was to Washington, which played like a top-10 team down the stretch. He beat Oregon. He won Las Vegas Bowl MVP.

He deserves to start spring ball.

And Uiagalelei deserves a shot to beat him out.

That’s what he came to Corvallis for — a fresh start to be a fresh starter. And to play for Smith, the best quarterback in Beavers history.

“I told all the coaches, it didn’t matter if I’d play in Alaska or down in Florida — I wanted to find somewhere to put me in the best position to maximize my talents,” Uiagalelei said earlier this month.

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As prospects, Smith and Uiagalelei could not have been more different. Smith walked on at Oregon State under Mike Riley but started to thrive as a redshirt sophomore under Dennis Erickson. That year, 1999, the Beavers won 7 games for the first time in almost three decades. The next year was arguably the best season in Oregon State history, as the Beavers went a school-record 11-1, tying for their first conference title in 36 years while finishing the season ranked No. 4 in the country.

Uiagalelei, meanwhile, was the top-rated pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class, the No. 10 overall prospect. He was 6-4, 250 pounds, well-groomed at SoCal’s St. John Bosco. College-ready as a high school junior. He committed to play for Clemson and Dabo Swinney when the Tigers were racking up title appearances, brought in as Trevor Lawrence’s heir apparent.

But unlike Smith, who threw for more than 450 yards in his first start for OSU and never looked back Uiagalelei’s flight plan has been a bit bumpier.

As a true freshman, he completed 67% of his passes for 914 yards and 5 scores with zero interceptions.

In 2021, with Lawrence off to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the No. 1 NFL Draft pick, Uiagalelei passed for just 2,246 yards and had 10 interceptions with 9 touchdowns, finishing with a passer rating of 108.7.

Last year, vowing to cut down on his weight and ready to lead Clemson back to the promised land, Uiagalelei was good but not great, passing for 2,521 yards with a 62.1 completion percentage and 22 touchdowns to 7 picks.

He arrived in Corvallis hoping to tap into his mammoth potential, with, he believes, a staff and scheme that better plays to his strengths.

“I did my homework,” he said. “I did a lot of homework on a lot of different colleges, and ultimately a lot on Oregon State. I told (offensive coordinator Brian) Lindgren, I like the way they call plays, the different stuff they did under center. I felt this was a great system for me to learn from.”

Now with Uiagalelei in tow, Saturday takes on a whole new meaning.

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It could have a celebration of what was. Instead it becomes a tantalizing dance of what might be.

Oregon State returns a ton of talent all over both sides of the ball, but they lacked a ready-made quarterback ready to thrive under the right system.

Is this system right for Uiagalelei? We shall see. If it is, Saturday becomes a preview of coming attractions, whether he starts or not. Gulbranson is expected to get the first snaps Saturday, but all eyes will be on the Beavers’ newest quarterback.

He bought into Corvallis — sight unseen, mind you — because of two needs: Oregon State’s need for an upgrade at QB and his need for a new perspective.

“I didn’t really need to see the place,” he said. “I’ve been in college 3 years, I didn’t really care about what the campus looks like. … For me, this was a business decision. I wanted to go somewhere that would put me in the best position to put my best foot forward.”