DJ Uiagalelei draws inspiration for diet from a future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback
“Big Cinco” might just be a nickname in word only for DJ Uiagalelei moving forward.
Clemson’s rising junior quarterback revealed Friday evening that he had lost around 20 pounds during the offseason. He said he got up to around 260 pounds last season and is now 240, but wants to try and get down to 230 or 235.
A large part of the slimming-down process was cutting out sweets and fast food. That includes In-N-Out, a staple in Uiagalelei’s home state of California, and Bojangles, one of the first companies to offer him a name, image and likeness deal last summer.
“Bojangles,” he said, hesitating, “I mean, Bojangles, right now, I’m cutting it out just a little bit, just kind of cutting it out but in moderation.”
As much as he’d like to eat ice cream or make a quick stop at Bojangles, Uiagalelei is thinking long-term about his overall health and what’s best for his football career. He compared his new mindset to recently retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady’s approach to physical health and diet.
“You kind of see like the TB12 diet and stuff like that where your body’s like a temple,” the Tigers’ signal caller said. “You want to be able to treat your body like a Ferrari. I stopped eating fast food and trying to treat (my body) like a high-engine car, like a fancy car. Kind of just like good stuff in your body, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Uiagalelei has traded fast food for meal prepping through a food delivery service and eating smaller portions of food while being mindful of his calorie intake.
Not only did Uiagalelei get healthier weight-wise, but also trained with a company called 3DQB that has locations in Texas and California. According to its website, 3DQB teaches “cross-specific training programs and exercises that will help athletes improve their game time performance, motion, and movement mechanics. Increase their upper-body strength, flexibility, power, and muscle endurance, while achieving maximum performance and minimizing risk of injury.”
Everything he worked on there was based on what he’d been doing at Clemson and approved by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter.
“Footwork, throwing stuff, I took that to (3DQB) and we went over it,” Uiagalelei said. “We set up a plan. We went and we executed that.”
The payoff of the extra work and slimmer frame will hopefully translate on the field. Even after the second practice of the spring, Uiagalelei says the weight loss has helped with his mobility in the pocket, but doesn’t think the extra pounds were part of his struggles last year.
“If I lose weight, I can be able to be a lot faster,” he said. “I can be more mobile. I didn’t feel like it affected me (last year) but I feel like it can make me that much better.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 6:33 AM.
