2-10. That’s how Florida State wrapped up its 2024 season, and the reaction was something commonly seen across the sports world. Graham Gano has faced it over poor performances. Deion Sanders also faced it during the Colorado Buffaloes’ poor 2025 season. So, by now, people know how ugly the relationship between sports and death threats can become. Adding another chapter to that saga now is DJ Uiagalelei’s father.

Dave Uiagalelei said fans treated DJ badly during his time at Florida State, making the situation extremely stressful for both DJ and his family.

“About a lot of times on these podcasts, like DJ was receiving death threats, bomb threats,” Dave Uiagalelei said on The Coach JB Show. “DJ couldn’t even go to a McDonald’s in Florida. They were feeding him food, you know what I mean? Stuff like that, bro. But at the end of the day, you know, my son never, never wavered.”

DJ Uiagalelei’s season fell apart after he injured his throwing hand against SMU on Sept. 28, 2024. The injury happened late in a heavy 42-16 loss, and doctors later decided he needed surgery. After the surgery, DJ missed the rest of the season. But Florida State’s problems started even before the injury.

The 25-year-old struggled badly during games and made too many mistakes. In just five games, he threw six interceptions after throwing only seven during his entire previous season at Oregon State. He also completed just 53.8% of his passes and threw only four touchdown passes. Because of the turnovers and inconsistent play, the Seminoles kept losing games that many people expected them to win.

After Uiagalelei got hurt, Florida State moved backup quarterback Brock Glenn into the starting role ahead of a big game against Clemson. Glenn had already briefly entered the SMU game after DJ exited, but he failed to complete any of his four pass attempts.

DJ Uiagalelei’s final numbers showed just how tough his season at Florida State became. He completed only 84 of 156 passes for 1,065 yards and four touchdowns, but also threw six interceptions. On top of that, his completion rate was only 53.8%. All this might have made the fans furious with him and his family.

Florida State was on the verge of a championship run in 2023, but the very next year, the team went 2-10, something no fan expected. It was also not something Mike Norvell had experienced during his tenure at Florida State since 2020, easily making it his worst season with the program.

However, the practice of sending death threats is nothing new. After all, we saw what happened to Ryan Day when Ohio State lost to Michigan in 2024. He received death threats, and so did his family, despite eventually winning a championship. So, it’s pretty clear that fans can quickly turn into harsh critics when things do not go right on the field.

While the fans’ ire is one thing, a 2-10 record doesn’t exactly look bright on any coach’s resume.

Mike Norvell’s job is at stake

Mike Norvell is entering the 2026 season under huge pressure after Florida State struggled badly and finished 5-7. Analyst Josh Pate warned that things could become even worse because Florida State faces some tough teams early in the season, including SMU and Alabama. Pate believed a few early losses could quickly destroy the team’s confidence and possibly even put Norvell’s coaching job in danger.

“So my point there is if you think about pre-Halloween, by the time the dust settles, by the time the clock strikes midnight on Halloween, they will have already played SMU, Alabama, Virginia, Louisville, Miami, and Clemson,” Pate said. “They could lose every one of those games.”

Josh Pate also warned that if Florida State starts losing games early, people inside the program could panic very quickly.

“And if they lose even most of those games, then you could really, really start a downhill slide,” Pate explained. “You could have movement on the coaching front by that point, and all it just goes into the gutter if that happens.”

That warning makes sense, as FSU has already seen two losing seasons with Mike Norvell, and one more can push them to the edge.