CLEMSON — Saturday will be the last time Cade Klubnik touches Howard’s Rock.

The last time he will get off the buses, hear the roars of the Clemson fans, and look out over Death Valley, a valley that became his home the last four seasons. The last time he will sing the alma mater in his No. 2 jersey, arm-in-arm with the teammates who helped shape him and whom he has spent the last four years with.

All the traditions that make Clemson, well, Clemson. The hill, the fans, the orange, and the straight pride of putting on a Tiger jersey—they are all becoming a very last for him.

And Death Valley, a dream he thought was out of reach that is now his home, will call out the last name Klubnik one more time. When Clemson hosts Furman on Saturday (4:30 p.m., CW), it will be a full-circle moment for the quarterback.

Why?

His first run down the hill in a college game was also against the Paladins.

The chapter is now closing where it first began.

For a quarterback who became a two-time ACC Championship Game MVP, whose career has seen some really high highs and some really low lows, he is simply grateful. For the program, the people, and what Clemson has poured into him.

“Oh man, it’s been such a blessing,” he said.

When Klubnik was in high school, he believed an offer from Clemson was out of reach, until it wasn’t.

“I dreamed of coming to Clemson when I was in high school,” he said. “Saw it as an out-of-reach offer and whenever I did end up getting the offer, you know, I committed on the spot.

“I knew that God had a great plan for the next few years and he has been so good over the last few years and it’s been such a blessing—just the people that he’s put over in my life and just the people that have been able to pour into me. I’ve been able to pour into other people and just being able to live life together with my teammates and these coaches and just the community. It’s been such a blessing.”

For all the big wins, the trophies, and the spotlight, the things Klubnik will miss the most aren’t the moments the world saw, but the ones he experienced with his team.

“The bus rides and all of that. Those are really what are fun and what you’re going to miss,” he said. “So many little moments that you might take for granted in your early years, and you start really cherishing once you realize your time is almost up.”

The heart of Clemson, the loyalty, and the family are what have changed Klubnik and made him the person and player he is today, and what he credits to one person more than anyone else. He says Dabo Swinney is the reason Clemson’s atmosphere is unlike anywhere else in college football.

“It’s just a place that not many people want to leave. Everybody loves it here and everyone enjoys it,” Klubnik said. “They love coming to work every day. They love coming to practice.”

As Klubnik prepares for one more bus ride to the stadium, he is filled with overwhelming gratitude.

“Just a lot of joy and gratefulness,” he said. “Just looking around at the guys I’ve been able to play with for the past four years.”

This wasn’t the expected outcome of his senior year. No Heisman trophy, no national championship run, but none of that has changed how much he loves Clemson or the way Clemson loves him. For a quarterback who gave everything he had, through the really highs and the really lows, there will always be “something in these hills” that belongs to him.

And on Saturday, when Klubnik touches Howard’s Rock, runs down the hill, and plays in Death Valley one last time, the words of the alma mater will echo a little louder… and it always will.