Brandon Streeter is the latest Clemson coach to state the obvious when it comes to freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik.
“Cade’s going to play,” the Tigers’ first-year offensive coordinator said Monday. “There’s no doubt about it. He’s going to play.”
While both Streeter and head coach Dabo Swinney have said D.J. Uiagalelei has given them no reason to remove his starter designation heading into the 2022 season, Clemson’s latest blue-chip quarterback signee is too talented to keep off the field.
Streeter acknowledged it’s hard to know exactly how much playing time Klubnik will get in Year 1. That will largely depend on how well the offense is executing with Uiagalelei behind center, but it’s clear the Tigers will pick and choose their moments with Klubnik given the signal callers’ varying skill sets.
Streeter and Swinney both have noted Uiagalelei’s improved agility and mobility after the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder dropped roughly 30 pounds this offseason, but Klubnik, at 6-2 and 195 pounds, brings a different level of speed to the position.
“We roll in plays based on what their skill set is,” Streeter said. “He can move out of the pocket better than D.J. He can run the ball on the edge a little better than D.J. But D.J. is probably a little better than him getting downhill. So different types of runs just to make sure we facilitate and measure up to what their skill set is.”
Klubnik also completed 70% of his passes during his prep career at Westlake (Texas) High, but it’s more than just Klubnik’s physical talent that has Streeter’s confidence in the youngster soaring ahead of Clemson’s Labor Day opener against Georgia Tech.
“I see a lot more confidence (in Klubnik) because of the summer, him going in there watching more film,” Streeter said. “Watching the clips from the spring. Watching the good things and then the mistakes he made in the spring and correcting those. Just absorbing it a lot more allows him to be more confident and knowing where to go with the ball even faster. I feel really good with where he is. Plenty to work on, but man I’m telling you, he’s a guy that’s just continuing to get better. And that’s all you can hope for as a coach.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in him with the first group or second group. It doesn’t matter. I feel really good about where he’s at.”
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