Has QB DJ Uiagalelei finally found his fit at Florida State? - ESPN

DJ Uiagalelei is just getting started. Again.

It's his first first day of fall practice at Florida State. But his college career has not gone according to plan — not his plans, those of the recruiting prognosticators who lavished him with four and five stars or those of any of the sport's talking heads who foretold his ascendance. So it's also his last first day of fall practice at Florida State. He's the new kid. He's the grizzled veteran. And he's here, in Tallahassee — his third and final stop on a five-year, nationwide campus tour — for just a short spell.

He's been in town seven months now, long enough to know Ms. Carol, though. Everyone knows Ms. Carol; Ms. Carol knows everyone. She's been a fixture on the football team since 1985, save for a short, recent stint in academics, and she holds her post every day outside the iron gates that guard the practice complex. She's part bouncer, part matriarch — monitoring who gains entry to practice and offering home-cooked greetings to the players and coaches she calls «honey» as they filter in for the day.

Uiagalelei: «Hi, Ms. Carol.»

Defensive lineman KJ Sampson: «How are you, Ms. Carol?»

Punter Alex Mastromanno: «Ms. Carol!»

Mike Norvell: «GOOOOOOD MORNING, MS. CAROL!»

Florida State's head coach sprints by, and he's swift and boisterous enough that his greeting reaches full Doppler effect. That's what Uiagalelei first really loved about Norvell when he signed on as a Seminole in January. This energy that spills over into mania.

«How intense he is,» Uiagalelei says. «Screaming all around the facility, yelling 'Good morning!' 24/7. It'll be 8 o'clock at night and he's yelling 'Good morning.'»

Ms. Carol also appreciates Norvell's exuberance — she returns his well-wishes with