Uiagalelei's 'Super Excited' to Experience Rivalry Game at Clemson

Clemson fans can't wait to finally get rival South Carolina back inside Memorial Stadium.

The same goes for DJ Uiagalelei.

The Tigers' starting quarterback was actually in attendance the last time the Gamecocks came to Death Valley. It was 2018 and Uiagalelei's first visit to Clemson for a home game when he was a recruit.

The team he would eventually sign a letter of intent to play for won a high-scoring affair 56-35 in Trevor Lawrence's freshman season. The Tigers went on to win the national title six weeks later.

Uiagalelei didn't get to face the Gamecocks at home in 2020 because the rivalry game was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SEC only played conference games that season, which halted a rivalry that had been played consecutively for over 100 years.

Uiagalelei is thrilled to take part in the home Clemson (10-1) version of this rivalry against South Carolina (7-4) on Saturday at noon.

"I've only heard stories, but I'm super excited," Uiagalelei said. "I remember last time. I showed up for a visit and the home stadium was rocking. It was a night game. But I'm super excited to be able to play South Carolina here at home. It'll be unbelievable."

Much of a player's legacy is tied to what they do in these kinds of games, and the Clemson-South Carolina series is no different. Uiagalelei is 1-0 all-time as a starter in the rivalry, and he could be the man who helps the Tigers beat South Carolina for a series-record eighth consecutive time with a win Saturday.

He helped lead Clemson to a 30-0 shutout at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia a year ago. Uiagalelei was just 9-of-19 passing for 99 yards and an interception. He rushed five times for 33 yards.

"Going to an away game, going there, it definitely opened it up and just the magnitude of the rivalry and what it means to a lot of people," Uiagalelei said.

The visiting Gamecocks will see a different version of the Uiagalelei. He was limited last year by a knee injury but has turned into an effective runner in 2022. He led the Tigers with 87 rushing yards in the 40-10 win over Miami last week.

On the season, he's completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 2,406 yards. Uiagalelei has thrown 21 touchdown passes and six interceptions in 335 attempts.

Uiagalelei is from California, and he grew up around the USC-UCLA rivalry, but he heads into the game against South Carolina fully aware of how important it is that he and the Tigers play well.

"It's our rival arrival right here," Uiagalelei said. "I know it means a lot to a lot of people here in South Carolina, a lot of Clemson fans. So that mean it means a lot to me. It means a lot to the team. So we got to be able to have our best week this week. Putt our best foot forward. Continue to keep working, continue to keep grinding and getting in the film room, have great practices. Just treat it exactly the same as every other week, but it definitely means a lot to us."

This could also be his final chapter in Tiger-Gamecock lore. Uiagalelei is in his third year at Clemson and will graduate in December, but he reiterated that he hasn't made any determinations on his future with the Tigers.

"I still haven't decided, I have no clue," Uiagalelei said. "I'm just playing through the season. At the end of the season whatever happens happens. But right now I'm just focusing on the season, focused on South Carolina and just focused on one game at a time."

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