Cade Klubnik Has ‘Come Long Way’ Since January

Expectations for Cade Klubnik are extremely high. Possibly too high.

The freshman quarterback was an early enrollee at Clemson after having been the number one quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class. The former 5-star prospect also won two state titles at the high school level. He’s a winner, plain and simple.

Head coach Dabo Swinney talked about his young quarterback prior to the start of fall camp, sharing some insight as to why Klubnik was second on the depth chart entering his first spring.

“We did not want to waste a rep, we did not want to waste a minute,” Swinney said. “He needed all of that work.”

Playing quarterback at a school like Clemson comes with a bevy of expectations, with some inside the fan base already having anointed him the starting quarterback before fall camp even began.

Realistically, he is most likely looking at beginning the season as the backup to incumbent DJ Uiagalelei. Although, is the time does come when Swinney must turn to his young freshman, he has no doubt that Klubnik will be ready.

“Obviously, mentally, he has come a long way since January,” Swinney said. “I think he was 179 pounds or something like that when he got here (in January). Now he is 197. So, physically, he had a lot of work to do, and he has done it. So, he is in a great spot, and I don’t think there is any question that he will be ready.”