When Clemson and Texas face off in the first-round of the College Football Playoff, it will be the first time the two teams have ever faced one another on the gridiron.

However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some familiarity. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik grew up in Austin and won multiple state titles right there at Westlake and being a local kid, Steve Sarkisian and Texas recruited Klubnik hard while coming out of high school.

“We recruited him hard,” Sarkisian said. “Local kid. Really possesses a great deal of competitive spirit. You could really see that when he was in high school at Westlake. He will do what it takes. He will throw it, he’ll run it, he’ll block, that guy will do whatever it takes to try and put his team in position to be successful.”

The story runs even deeper than that, though. Klubnik faced off with Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers in 2021 Texas state title game. Klubnik’s Westlake team came away victorious, knocking off Ewers and Southlake Carroll 52-34.

Add in the fact that both of Klubnik’s parents attended Texas A&M, the Longhorns biggest rival, and it gets even juicier.

“That was obviously a really good team with a lot of really good players,” Sarkisian said. “When he made the decision to go to Clemson, honestly I was surprised. Both of his parents went to A&M and we thought we were the hometown team. But he had always had a dream of going to Clemson.”

Klubnik has been a central figure in Clemson’s offensive resurgence in 2024. The junior quarterback is completing 64% of his throws and has passed for 3,303 yards, with 33 touchdowns to just five interceptions. His three touchdown passes in the first quarter of the win over SMU set an ACC Championship Game record on Saturday night.

Now Klubnik will return home, where it all began. It’s Klubnik vs Ewers 2.0 and as high as the stakes were last time, on December 21 they will be even higher, as each team is looking to win a national title.

“And for him, what a cool story,” Sarkisian said. “Getting into the College Football Playoff in a first-round game right here in Austin. Back home for him. Lot of really cool storylines for this ballgame and that is definitely one of them.”

A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!