Clemson has always prided itself on building a family-oriented environment within the confines of the locker room, but for current quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, the Clemson family may soon take on a whole new meaning. 

With Dabo Swinney’s summer camps in full swing on Clemson’s campus, recruits from all over the country are making the trip to get a taste of the Clemson experience, including Uiagalelei’s brother, Matayo Uiagalelei, and cousin Nicholaus Iamaleava along with their fathers, Big Dave and Big Nic. 

For D.J. and his family though, the Clemson family means just a little bit more.

“He [D.J.] loves it. His faith is what brought him here, but he loves it though,” Big Nic told The Clemson Insider. “He’s so eager to come back when he’s in California, you know, he’s like ‘Hey, what’s up?’ and then he’s like ‘I’m out, I’m going back to take care of business, man.’”

Hailing from the state of California, Iamaleava, a 2023 4-star quarterback recruit, and Uiagalelei, a 4-star 2023 recruit who took reps at defensive end, tight end, and wide receiver in his time at camp on Saturday, both made the cross-country trip to see what the Clemson experience was all about.

“The staff is great and just the facility though,” Big Nic told TCI. “We don’t have one facility in California that can beat this, not one. Not Stanford, not Cal, UCLA, or USC. Not one facility can compete with this.”

It’s all too familiar for Big Dave, but this time around is different. 

He already has a son in the program and has become a celebrity within himself. Big Dave could be seen wearing his son’s No. 5 jersey on Saturday around camp, but instead of his last name, it read: ‘Big Clemson Fan.’

“This is my second home,” Big Dave told TCI.” I love it here.”

While his son put on a show at Day 3 of Swinney Camp, it’s more or less what Big Dave expects at this point. 

“I’m not worried about him,” Big Dave said. “He’s going to be alright.”