Uiagalelei, Wiggly Lee, and a big game at Notre Dame

Uiagalelei will start at Notre Dame this week. (Photo courtesy ACC)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Nov 06 08:01:03 GMT-04:00 2020

DJ Uiagalelei doesn’t care what you call him, as long as you call him when it’s time to play football.

Uiagalelei took the nation by storm last weekend when he led No. 1 Clemson back from an 18-point deficit to a 34-28 victory over Boston College. He finished with 341 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, including turning the game in the third quarter with a 30-yard touchdown run on a fourth down and hitting Amari Rodgers for an eight-yard touchdown pass. He finished 30-for-41 passing on the day.

He gets another chance at starting this week when Clemson travels to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame (7:30 pm, NBC).

The precocious true freshman quarterback walked into the interview area after the win over Boston College looking like he was talking to a friend in his dorm room. He calmly sipped a protein shake, beanie on his head, and answered question after question with the aplomb of a multi-year veteran. On Monday, his stoicism was on display again when he fielded questions about the pronunciation of his last name and the chain he wears around his neck.

"Big Cinco, I think it started off in maybe high school," Uiagalelei said of his nickname and the pendant. "I think some of the players called me Cinco, like five, and so on. Some called me just Big Cinco. I just heard him like, 'This pretty cool.' I started like putting a hashtag on it on my Instagram, like Big Cinco, and then eventually I got I made. Got it made into a chain, I got a pendant and I like wearing chains.”

As for his name, he is used to people butchering the pronunciation.

"I've heard a lot (of people butchering the last name), probably, I mean," Uiagalelei said. "But for me. I think like Wiggly Lee. I've heard Wiggly Lee one time, I forgot who said something like that. Like Wiggly Lee. I never heard that type of pronunciation I like hear different pronunciation my whole life. I think that was one that was pretty funny."

Uiagalelei gets his next big test Saturday with the game in South Bend but don’t expect him to be bothered by the circumstances.

“I talk to Coach (Brandon) Streeter. I talk to different coaches and how they want me to handle it,” Uiagalelei said. “I talk to Trevor. I think we just treat it like a normal game. It is our next game. It is our biggest game of the year because it is our next game. Nothing is too big. Just go out there and treat it like a normal game.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney said he was pleased with the freshman against Boston College.

“That is the key to quarterback play. There is a lot going on. This isn't 1990 all over again where you just make some decisions in the pass game,” Swinney said. “These are decisions that are happening post-snap all the time in 2020. It could be a run, a screen, a pass, it could be a QB-run. You're processing what is going on coverage-wise and have to know your progressions. He did an amazing job in his first start. He missed a few easy throws, but he was at 72-percent completion. And BC made it a throw-game. And I don't blame them. D.J. was tremendous.

“The one sack we gave up was not on him or the line. We ran a wrong route and he had to hold the ball. This will be a different animal for him this weekend. Notre Dame has elite talent. We have to play clean and with good, crisp execution."

Running back Travis Etienne said Uiagalelei will be a star going forward.

“D.J. is going to be great for us moving forward," Etienne said. "I just think he came out here and was very cool, calm and collected as he always is throughout practice. He came out and showed the world what he has in store for him in the his future. Y'all saw him out there. The sky is the limit for this guy."