Five-star QB Cade Klubnik says he believes in Dabo Swinney

Klubnik spent time with quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter in June.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Dec 13 13:36:56 GMT-04:00 2021

Cade Klubnik has one more game left in his high school career and then he will head to Clemson. And Klubnik has a message for those that think Clemson has fallen from grace – the Tigers aren’t going anywhere.

Klubnik is the Tigers’ 5-star 2022 quarterback commit out of Austin (TX) Westlake who led his team to the 6A D-II state title game next Saturday at AT&T Stadium. Klubnik threw for over 300 yards and five touchdowns in Westlake’s demolition of perennial powerhouse Katy 45-14 at Baylor's McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.

Klubnik, who missed multiple games in October due to a separated non-throwing shoulder, is approaching 40 touchdown passes (39) in just 12 games, where in several contests he sat most of the second half. With a win this week, he can lead Westlake to two state championships within a calendar year (the 2020 season's playoffs finished in January).

He calls chasing the championships a dream come true.

“It's so awesome. It's like a dream come true. It's an experience that me and my buddies have always dreamed of, and I still remember me and my best friend, our freshman year, Westlake hadn't won a state championship in 20 years and we were saying what if we went back-to-back-to-back, and that's the craziest thing ever that nobody would ever think of. And that we have an opportunity to do that is surreal,” Klubnik said. "It shows the brotherhood that we have for each other and the love that we have for each other. All the chemistry that our whole team has, we know what we're in for. Everybody is just really tight and that has come together over the past two years with everything that is going on. I think that has all brought us closer to a goal we all want to achieve. I really believe we are playing the best we've ever played, but there is also room to improve.”

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter watched Klubnik in the state quarterfinals nine days ago, then had dinner at the recruit’s house that evening. Klubnik said he didn’t feel any nerves playing in front of his future coaches.

“It was awesome, another thing we have always dreamed of. If somebody had told me a year-and-a-half ago that Coach Swinney was going to be coming to one of my games and then having dinner and brisket with us afterward, I would have told you were funny,” Klubnik said. “It was a great time having them there and visiting with them. He told me the day before, 'Hey, there is nothing to be nervous about. Come a year from now, I am going to be on the sideline for every single game you are going to play.' I had nothing to be really nervous about. I had fun with it and tried to just play like myself and enjoy it.”

Despite all of the changes at Clemson, Klubnik said that he believes in Swinney’s vision and knows the Tigers aren’t going anywhere.

“I trust in Coach Swinney and Coach Streeter that they will have a plan,” he said. “I don't think Clemson is going anywhere. You look everywhere - OCs and DCs come and go, but it's the head coach that makes the program at the end of the day. I trust Coach Swinney more than anybody and I am sure that he is going bring in an amazing defensive coordinator and whoever he chooses for an offensive coordinator I am going to be pumped for that.”

As for the 2022 recruiting class, Klubnik is doing his best to help hold it together.

“I strongly believe that nobody else is leaving. I think that the guys that have left are all pretty tight and I respect the decision they had to make and I really wish that they would have stayed,” he said. “But the guys that are staying really trust Coach Swinney and have known him longer and know what's coming next and have trust in this class. I know we have got a good one coming.”