Swinney sees 5-star QB signee as a ‘faster’ Deshaun Watson

Clemson signed the nation’s No. 1 quarterback as a part of its 2022 recruiting class.

Westlake (Texas) five-star Cade Klubnik was 1 of 12 recruits who signed their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period for class of 2022 football recruits.

Now that he’s officially put to paper, his soon-to-be head coach can finally talk about him on the record. Dabo Swinney met with reporters on Wednesday and offered an interesting comparison for Klubnik, one that should draw a few raised eyebrows throughout Clemson’s fanbase.

“He’s magic. That’s just kind of what I see,” Swinney said. “He reminds me so much of Deshaun [Watson] with just his traits and his attributes as a quarterback. Even his frame and his build coming out of high school is very similar. Cade’s faster probably than Deshaun, but [they have] very, very similar skillsets.”

Comparing Klubnik to Watson holds some serious weight.

The Westlake product is set to enroll in three weeks and Swinney is already being held to the same candle as a National Champion and one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the program.

Not only does Klubnik hold a similar skillset to Watson, but he also is coming to campus with a similar body type.

When Watson enrolled at Clemson in January of 2014, he weighed around 182 pounds. By August, Waston was up to 200.

Clemson’s head coach is expecting a similar trajectory for Klubnik, who will officially enroll on Jan. 9, 2022. Swinney estimated that Klubnik is a bit bigger, weighing between 184-186.

Clemson’s five-star quarterback signee has his work cut for him, but it’s quite obvious just how enamored Swinney is with Klubnik already.