It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to fill every single need in each recruiting class on an annual basis. But there’s no doubt Clemson addressed its most important need in this year’s class by adding plenty of star power at a premium position.
Austin (Texas) Westlake five-star quarterback Cade Klubnik is the headliner of the 2022 signing class that the Tigers are locking up today as the early signing period for college football gets underway.
“I’m so excited,” Klubnik said to TCI recently as he prepared to sign with Clemson. “That will be an awesome day, one that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.”
Clemson fans should be extremely excited to have Klubnik on board, too.
Klubnik, who committed to Clemson this past March, is ranked as the nation’s top quarterback in the 2022 class by both Rivals and the 247Sports Composite, the latter of which considers him the 18th-best prospect in the country regardless of position.
Last week, Klubnik earned a major honor when he was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year, becoming the first Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Westlake High School – the same school that produced future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger, among other former and current NFL players.
At the time of his selection for the Gatorade award, Klubnik had completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,486 yards and 34 touchdowns, with just two interceptions, through 13 games. He had also rushed for 362 yards and 11 touchdowns on 52 carries while leading Westlake to a 13-0 record (Westlake is now 15-0 and set to face Denton Guyer (Denton, Texas) in the Class 6A Division II state final on Saturday).
The 6-foot-3, 186-pound senior quarterback was recognized as the USA TODAY Offensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2020. He was MVP of the Elite 11 quarterback competition this past summer and has been selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl.
Needless to say, Klubnik will arrive to Clemson as an acclaimed prospect with no shortage of accolades. He is expected to step foot on campus in January as a midyear enrollee and thus will have the chance to compete with rising junior quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei in spring practice.
Obviously, with the departure of Taisun Phommachanh to the transfer portal two weeks ago, Klubnik will bring added depth to Clemson’s quarterback room, which currently consists of Uiagalelei, Hunter Helms, Billy Wiles and Will Taylor, who is recovering from a season-ending ACL injury suffered earlier this year.
Having a top-tier quarterback moving forward will be vital for Clemson if it hopes to get back to playing in the College Football Playoff and vying for another national championship, just as Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence were integral to the Tigers’ six straight CFP appearances (2015-20) and last two national titles (2016, 2018).
With Klubnik coming in, it certainly looks like Clemson will be in much better shape at the quarterback position going into next season, as the Tigers look to return to form as one of the elite teams in college football.
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