CLEMSON – In the last decade, several Clemson quarterbacks have enjoyed a true coming-out party– moments that offered fans a glimpse of what was ahead for Tiger football.

For Trevor Lawrence, now a national champion and starting quarterback for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, that moment came in 2018 when he entered the game at Georgia Tech and led the Tigers to a 49-21 victory, while throwing four touchdown passes.

For Deshaun Watson, also a national champion, it arrived in his first career start against North Carolina in 2014, when he threw for 435 yards and set an ACC record for a debut performance and a Clemson record with 6 TD passes.

Current starter Cade Klubnik had his welcome moment in 2022 after checking into the ACC Championship Game and leading the Tigers to an ACC Championship, while earning MVP honors.

True freshman Chris Denson has not had those kinds of moments, yet, but what he did against Furman last weekend at Memorial Stadium, might be a glimpse at his potential. The Plant City, Fla., native checked in for the Tigers’ last two drives and rushed for a team-high 106 yards and a touchdown. He added a perfect 4-for-4 passing performance and a touchdown in the air, as well.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth, a lot of progression, and he’s really worked on his throwing mechanics, his lower body transition, a lot of those things,” head coach Dabo Swinney said of Denson after the win. “So, he’s made a lot of improvement and it should be a fun spring.”

Before Denson had the opportunity to make himself known to Clemson fans, he spent a semester learning behind the scenes, a period in which as Swinney described him as quarterbacks’ coach Tajh Boyd’s “project.”

And although all of the most recent quarterbacks in Clemson lore could not be most accurately described as projects, Klubnik knows what it means to wait. He spent nearly a full season waiting to secure consistent playing time. Denson believes that experience has helped Klubnik mentor him this year. 

“Cade has been a really big help since I’ve been here,” the freshman said. You have the homesick(ness). He’s kind of helped me push through that…Cade’s a great guy. Not just to me, to everybody.

“We had a conversation last week kind of about how I’m feeling and how everything is and our stories kind of align from whenever he got here. So, he kind of helped me get through it.”

When asked about his biggest advice for the freshman, Klubnik emphasized learning through observation.

“Learn from others, learn from my mistakes, learn from the good things that me and (Christopher Vizzina) have done this year,” Klubnik said. “Lean on people and don’t be afraid to ask questions. He’s done a great job of that.” 

According to Klubnik, his message is not just limited to big, one-time conversations. Instead, it shows up in life’s monotonous moments.

 “Spending 20-30 minutes with (Denson) this morning right before I came in here, just talking life, talking football, just trying to pour into him,” he said. “I was blessed with DJ (Uiagalelei) when I got here and Hunter Johnson and Hunter Helms and Paul (Tyson) my sophomore year. I had so many older guys that have lived through life when I got here that they were pouring into me and now I get to kind of do that back.”

While many of the quarterbacks Klubnik mentioned never got their own “superstar” moments as Tigers, they helped shape the signal-callers that Clemson celebrate today.

And that, in its own way, is a crucial tool behind shaping the breakout moments that fans get to see.

While Klubnik will soon move on from Clemson at the conclusion of the season, he has one more chance in regular-season play to get another breakout moment when the Tigers head to Williams-Brice Stadium to take on their rival, the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.

Kickoff is set for noon and coverage will be shown on the SEC Network. The trip will mark Denson’s first and Klubnik’s last trip to Columbia.