Cade Klubnik made his much-anticipated debut for Clemson on Monday, a moment that was years in the making for the Tigers’ latest blue-chip signal caller.
Klubnik relieved D.J. Uiagalelei late in the fourth quarter of Clemson’s season-opening win over Georgia Tech and led the offense’s final scoring drive. He marched the Tigers 66 yards in 10 plays and capped it with a 3-yard touchdown toss to Will Taylor, one of his four completions on the drive.
It was a glimpse into what all the hype was about for Klubnik, the nation’s top-rated prep quarterback in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Klubnik joined the team for spring practice after signing with the Tigers out of Westlake High School in Texas.
It was early in his prep career when Klubnik said Clemson first became a legitimate option for his future. Clemson’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff at the end of the 2014 season initially put the program on Klubnik’s radar, which isn’t easy to do while playing in Texas’ backyard.
“Austin is 17 hours away from here, so it wasn’t really right down the road,” Klubnik said Wednesday.
Clemson’s sustained success – the Tigers made six straight CFP appearances before last season – continued to resonate with Klubnik remembers thinking, even as a high school sophomore, that he hoped to eventually be a part of Dabo Swinney’s program.
“My mom was like, ‘If you could go anywhere, where would you want to go?” Klubnik said. “I was like, ‘Clemson.’ But that was like the biggest stretch in the world for me because I didn’t think that could really happen because all I’d done is play three games as a sophomore.”
After his junior season, though, Klubnik had more than 20 offers from schools nationwide, including one from the hometown Longhorns. Just a few days after Clemson extended him a scholarship the spring heading into his senior season, Klubnik committed to the Tigers and never wavered before signing his National Letter of Intent in December.
Klubnik said he took some ribbing from friends and family back home but that there was “nothing serious” in terms of backlash for his decision. On Monday, the dream of playing for the school he always wanted to suit up for became reality.
“I knew Clemson was where I wanted to be from the very start just with Coach Swinney and the culture they’ve built here,” Klubnik said. “It was the easiest choice I’ve ever made.”
Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.
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