The transition to the next level is seemingly a lot easier for those that come from big-time high school football programs.
That logic can be applied to Clemson’s true freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik, who has been in Tiger Town for two months now and has not only bulked up but has impressed his head coach every step of the way.
Following the Tigers’ fifth spring practice on Wednesday, Swinney was asked during his media availability where Klubnik is at this stage in terms of picking up the playbook, compared to the likes of Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence and D.J. Uiagalelei.
“Rinse and repeat,” Swinney said. “Same type of deal. Very, very sharp. He’s getting a ton of work with the twos and he’s really responded well. He’s just a natural. The same thing, he’s everything we thought he was. He has put on some weight since he got here, bulked up.”
Swinney estimates that Klubnik is already weighing close to 190-pounds. The goal is to get Klubnik at or around 200 by the time August rolls around.
“Very similar to Deshaun,” Swinney said. “If you took a picture of Deshaun Watson and in January when he got here and you put them side by side, they’re like clones…I’m excited about where he is and how he’s responded has been very good.”
Clemson’s head coach has compared Klubnik to Watson coming in, time and time again. That comparison isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. They’re very similar physically and their trajectory appears to be similar, although Waston came in behind Cole Stoudt, while Klubnik has come in behind Uiagalelei.
Swinney raved about how having Klubnik come in behind an established starter like Uiagalelei, will only further help his transition to college. While they’re not the same physically, they do have similar backgrounds prior to their time at Clemson.
Both Uiagalelei and Klubnik came from big-time high school football programs — St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif) and Westlake (Texas) — with a lot of expectations on their shoulders at a very young age.
“It’s great, just like it was great to have Trevor when DJ rolled in here, to allow you to kind of breathe a little bit, ” Swinney said. “It’s been the same.
“That’s just how he’s wired. You can’t give him enough. He’s just like a German Shepard, like ‘Where do I go next? Let’s go.’ He’s ready to go all the time…He’s just a very eager guy and he applies that to everything he does, whether that’s school, playing ping pong, dining hall, just the meetings. He’s a very engaged kid, super talented, but very very engaged. He just has an unbelievable foundation to him, just like DJ.”
Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!
