When Clemson left Notre Dame Stadium in the early hours of Nov. 8, 2020, there was little doubt the team had found its next great quarterback.
That night, DJ Uiagalelei made his first career start in place of Trevor Lawrence, sidelined with COVID-19. Uiagalelei passed for 439 yards, the most ever by a visiting player against Notre Dame. The 235-pound Californian dissected a defense featuring safety Kyle Hamilton and other future NFL players, completing 29 of 44 passes with two touchdowns. Clemson lost the game 47-40 in two overtimes, but found the next star in a line of quarterbacks that included Deshaun Watson and Lawrence.