Austin stage proved Cade Klubnik will be a superstar in 2025

Cade Klubnik shined on his first try on the CFP stage.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Tuesday, December 24 2024

Dabo Swinney entered fall camp with plenty of excitement entering 2024, and plenty of that energy was centered around his quarterback.

Even after a three-point performance against Georgia, Swinney believed Cade Klubnik played well, leaving many to scratch their heads, wondering what he saw in Atlanta.

Of course, Swinney will always back his quarterback. It is in his nature to have total faith in the guys out there for him.

Fast forward to the dust being settled in 2024.

The disappointment of a loss in the College Football Playoff is incredibly disheartening. Clemson got gashed in every conceivable way against Texas and didn’t have enough for a miraculous comeback.

Still, as Clemson’s leading man looks ahead to the future, he has to feel incredibly excited.

He’s known for quite some time the Tigers have a special quarterback. Now, everyone else knows it, too.

2023 wasn’t the jump in growth expected for this offense after an offseason full of excitement was quickly wiped away after Duke snuffed out turnover after turnover.

Klubnik’s play in relief of DJ Uiagalelei, paired with a hotshot coordinator in Garrett Riley, put expectations through the roof on the then-defending champions of the ACC.

The Tigers expected to compete for the playoffs and weren’t even close.

Much of that blame was fit squarely on the throwing shoulders of Klubnik, whether those struggles were fair to throw on him or not.

Klubnik finished his sophomore campaign with 19 passing touchdowns to nine interceptions, adding four scores on the ground. His shaky play and some turnovers in late-game situations inspired a mixed bag of confidence entering his second season as the full-time starter.

Still, all the noise didn’t matter to Swinney. He felt those months of adversity could positively affect Klubnik’s development.

“He, in particular, never really had much football adversity,” Swinney said. “Everything’s going scripted for him, and it’s good for him. It’s made him better. So you just keep going and keep teaching, and guys develop. Again, we’ve got this world now where if you’re not a great player right out of the gate, you stink — or coach, if you’re not a great coach right out of the gate, you stink. It’s just this terrible mentality woven into our world now, and it’s not reality.”

What was reality was the belief that, in time, the world would find out what his quarterback was made of.

From the ashes of the Georgia matchup rose a different kind of player.

Maybe, the one fans had been waiting for all along.

Leading up to the playoffs, Klubnik posted 33 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions, finding the end zone seven additional times with his legs. Those 40 total touchdowns were good enough for fourth in the country, sandwiched in between Cam Ward (41) and Shedeur Sanders (39).

Additionally, one month of that was spent with the Clemson offense figuring out the answer to the struggles in the run game.

It is no longer a secret that Phil Mafah wasn’t the same tailback that was bruising linebackers to the ground in September and October. As the stakes grew higher, so did the reliance on Klubnik to lead Clemson back to the CFP.

He did enough on the road against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh, most notably with a 50-yard rushing touchdown that put Clemson in a position to secure a bid to the ACC Championship.

In that title game, Klubnik threw for four touchdowns, adding a second MVP trophy to his collection. Those efforts were enough to give Nolan Hauser the field position to send Clemson back to the College Football Playoff for the first time in four years.

Still, there was one final test back home.

Down 31-10 to Texas, Klubnik faced an immovable object on one side of the ball and was forced to watch an unstoppable force on the other.

Yet, he continued to fight. Klubnik had led multiple scoring drives in the second half to cut a 21-point lead to just seven, putting on a show against one of the best defenses in the nation.

Before the Tigers’ matchup in Austin, Florida had the highest total yardage on the Texas defense with 329 yards.

Klubnik had more passing yards (336) than the Gators’ total alone. In the end, the efforts weren’t enough, but more importantly, it was another spot where Klubnik proved he belonged, doing it on the national stage.

Once again, it was also with the absence of a run game, where Adam Randall led the way with 44 rushing yards on four carries. Clemson’s offense was in obvious passing situations from the start, and Klubnik found a way to put on a show.

Entering the 2024 season, a central question would be answered one way or the other.

Not only did Klubnik erase any doubts he could be Clemson’s signal caller, but he also proved he was one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Swinney knew what he had in his former Westlake star; it was just a matter of time before everyone else found out.

Now, the secret is out. That faith from fall camp was rewarded, and in 2025, everyone will reap the benefits.