Slaughter's Take: Oregon State Made The Right Call Naming DJ U QB1

With the Oregon State football team naming DJ Uiagalelei the starting quarterback on Tuesday afternoon, BeaversEdge Publisher Brenden Slaughter gives his take on why naming him the starting QB now was the right move...

Oregon State football has its QB1...

Following a three-man fall camp quarterback battle between DJ Uiagalelei, Ben Gulbranson, and Aidan Chiles, Uiagalelei emerged victorious on Tuesday as the Beavers named him their starting quarterback against San Jose State and beyond.

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MORE: DJ U Named Oregon State Starting QB | DAY 17 Nuggets: DJ Named QB1, Backup Race Heats Up

While the news didn't come as much of a surprise given how we've seen DJ play this fall camp, the official announcement still needed to come and now that it's out of the way, the Beavers can fully charge ahead to this highly-anticipated 2023 campaign.

On the surface, I think there are several benefits to naming the starting quarterback as early as possible when the competition is all but decided...

First, it's easier for the starting quarterback to develop rhythm, timing, and chemistry with fellow members of the 1st team offense, including the offensive line, running backs, tight ends and perhaps most importantly, the receivers.

DJ has made big strides in summer and fall camp, becoming more comfortable with the various offensive personnel, and I imagine that will only increase these last few practices before San Jose State...

Secondly, I think it is less of a distraction for the team to know officially who your guy is under center. That old saying, if you have two QBs you have none doesn't wholeheartedly apply here, but there's something to be said about energizing your whole team when you publicly empower one guy to be the de-facto leader...

Looking back at some recent quarterback battles that head coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren have presided over during their tenure: