The names of LSU football players are some of the most often-used words in Baton Rouge each fall.

Good luck pronouncing some of them, as the Tigers’ roster is littered with uncommon, confounding and quirky names.

From Mettenberger to Mingo, Jermauria to Jerqwinick and Aghayere to A’Trey-U, they seem to be in unlimited supply at LSU, frequently toggling between first and last name.

“Every road venue we go to, I have to go over about a dozen pronunciations with the opposing radio guys,” said LSU Associate Sports Information Director Bill Martin. “You have to spell them out very clearly or they won’t get it.”

Players unanimously touted freshman safety Jerqwinick Sandolph as the leader of LSU’s All-Name Team.

“Everybody, all the trainers and the staff, just calls him JQ,” said junior defensive end Barkevious Mingo. “Not to be confused with GQ, because he’s not smooth like that.”

Fellow first-name oddity junior linebacker Lamin Barrow said Sandolph’s name has a mystical yet appropriate quality to it.

“It just fits him,” Barrow said. “If I had to guess his name, I’d probably say something silly like Jerqwinick. That name is him — a funny guy for a funny name.”

Sandolph is better known on the team as “Thumbsucker,” according to players. He’s not alone, as nicknames often ring out in the Tigers locker room.

Freshman linebacker Kwon Alexander is “Q-Tip.” Mingo is famously known as “KeKe.” Sophomore La’el Collins calls freshman Trai Turner, “Twinkletoes,” because of a penchant for walking on his toes. Senior Josh Dworaczyk refers to junior Bennie Logan as “Mad Dog.”

It’s commonplace on the LSU football team for a given name to sound like nickname.

Take sophomore defensive tackle Ego Ferguson.

“I just found out that’s his real name a few months back,” Barrow said. “For the longest time now, I’ve thought Ego was just a nickname. It’s still funny to me.”

Ferguson said he doesn’t know the origin of his name, only that it runs in the family.

“You’d have to ask my pops,” he said. “I don’t know what his parents were thinking, naming him that. He decided to put that burden on me, too.”

Ferguson said the name used to draw more attention when has was younger, admitting kids used to call him “Eggo,” like the frozen waffle brand. 

It also inspired a comical high school incident on the gridiron.

“This guy across the line from me started singing real weird, like dancing and singing a song like ‘My Big Ego’ or something,” Ferguson said. “I thought he looked kind of effeminate. I just laughed … but then I hit him on the next play.”

The important question, though: Does he have a big ego?

Barrow said no, but sophomore defensive end Jermauria Rasco said the charming arrogance eventually reveals itself.

“When you get to know him, he definitely does,” Rasco said, chiding Ferguson, who was standing next to him. “He likes to brag a little.”

The name Dworaczyk — pronounced “Duh-ross-ick” — is most notable for its consonants and gave LSU coach Les Miles fits early in his career.

“When Les came to New Iberia to recruit me, he asked me several times how to pronounce it,” Dworaczyk said. “Now he, Coach Studrawa and even Coach Ensminger will get bold and dare use my last name when they yell during practice.”

Martin said LSU officials reach out to first-hand sources before clearing the official pronunciation with senior associate sports information director Bill Franques.

“We contact high school coaches or their families to make sure we get them right,” Martin said. “We know if they’re confusing to us, other people will need help.”

Even with dozens of magnificent names, one has achieved fame far beyond campus.

Mingo has become a household name in college football, even earning the title, “Imperial Intergalactic Overlord Barkevious Mingo” last year from Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples.

Mingo has little preference between his given name and “KeKe,” but said he’s encountered surprisingly few spelling or pronunciation issues, perhaps because of his burgeoning popularity.

“As long as I’ve played, everybody’s kind of magically been able to get it right,” he said. “I keep expecting someone to mess up. I hear that a lot with the other names on this team. We got some good ones.”