What a difference a year has made for Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
Klubnik made major strides, culminating in the Tigers’ quarterback slicing up the Texas secondary in the opening round of the College Football Playoff like no other quarterback had done last season. Although Clemson lost that game, the performance of its offense that day sparked big expectations for the offseason.
Klubnik was seen as one of the top returning quarterbacks in the country. His PFF passing grade of 87.7 was tops in the nation among all returning signal callers. He was even one of the favorites to win the Heisman.
Knowing what was expected back in the summer, what’s happened over the first four games has been hard to fathom. Klubnik has looked like anything but a seasoned veteran. Instead, he’s looked like a quarterback playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders. His passing grade is currently 74.7, a dramatic drop, and he rarely looks like he’s having any fun playing the game that is supposed to bring so much joy.
Let’s be clear, Klubnik’s play is far from the only thing plaguing the Tigers during the 1-3 start. The offensive line is nowhere close to being championship level. The pass blocking has been downright bad at times. Klubnik has the third-most dropbacks under pressure (61) of any quarterback in the country.
The receivers have dropped too many passes that have hit them dead in their hands. Some of them that should have been routine catches. Not to mention, the staff has not made the running game a point of emphasis.
Having said all of that, Klubnik has been a big part of the problem. His play through four games has more closely resembled what we saw from him as a sophomore when he was a first-year starter. Maybe it’s just who the former five-star talent is.
Klubnik doesn’t trust his pass protection, which in turn has led to him being too quick to scramble. On top of that, he’s just not seeing the field well — pre-snap or post-snap. Wide receivers are open, but the quarterback just isn’t seeing them. Even if he does, he is often late on his throws. The tight ends have basically become an afterthought.
Has it gotten to the point that his teammates have lost confidence in him? There have been a handful of instances where it appeared frustration was starting to boil to the surface with the receivers.
The question becomes, how long is his leash? Dabo Swinney and Garrett Riley have both publicly given him the dreaded vote of confidence, with both also saying they’ve yet to get to the point where they have thought about yanking him. However, it’s not like either would admit in the media that they were getting close to reaching that point.
If the struggles continue when Clemson faces off with North Carolina after the bye week, maybe that’s the tipping point, and Chris Vizzina gets a shot to show what he can do running the offense.
Photo by Bart Boatwright