CLEMSON – Quarterback Cade Klubnik boarded a plane to this year’s ACC Kickoff wearing a very intentional shirt: a black tee covered in photos of Clemson center Ryan Linthicum, framed by Linthicum’s name in purple block letters.

The shirt, available for purchase on brownboynation.com, was a way for Klubnik to put the spotlight on someone other than himself, he later told media members.

“Ryan’s one of my best friends here,” Klubnik said. “He’s one of a kind, I don’t even know how else to describe him. I got to rep his (brand) and that was fun. There’s only a few of us that get to go (to ACC Kickoff) and I didn’t want to make it about myself. Anytime I get to show praise to those guys I always want to do so.”

Klubnik’s connection with his offensive line goes far beyond sporting personalized merchandise, however. Since his sophomore season, Klubnik has been vocal about his close relationship with the group, often spending time with them outside of football practice.

​​“I feel like I have a great relationship with all of those guys,” Klubnik said. “I love those guys, you’ve got to. . .those guys are workaholics and they love the grind. They got the best offensive line coach in the country coaching them up, and they’ve got some young bucks in there too.”

But after years of lifting up his offensive line through criticism and praise, the tables turned on Tuesday.

Following Clemson’s 17-10 loss to LSU Saturday, head coach Dabo Swinney did not sugarcoat his quarterback’s struggles after Klubnik finished 19-for-38 for 230 yards and an interception. In comparison, his average last season featured 293 all-purpose yards per game with 2.6 touchdowns. 

“He had a bad day. Ain’t no other way to say it,” Swinney said in his Tuesday press conference. “If No. 2 ain’t a dude, we ain’t winning.”

A few minutes later, Linthicum replaced Swinney at the podium in the Smart Family Media Center and returned the support Klubnik has given him through the years. Though he was not wearing a custom Cade Klubnik shirt, Linthicum’s words echoed similar sentiments.

“Cade’s the best quarterback I’ve ever played with, best in the country,” he said. “We just worry about our job…everybody else just doing their one part. Cade’s a great leader. Especially as a center, our connection is great. I love playing with Cade.”

Linthicum also praised Klubnik’s mindset, saying its steadfast nature fuels the entire offense.

“He brings confidence to us,” he said. I just love playing with Cade. His mindset is he’s going to dominate and he brings confidence to us up front and I’m really excited for him this season and we just got to go back to work.”

Though outside voices have been critical of Klubnik’s performance, he won’t have to question where he stands with his front line. The quarterback and his protectors will get their next chance to showcase their chemistry Saturday, when the eighth-ranked Tigers host Troy at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.