Clemson signed 21 players as part of its 2022 recruiting class, some of whom still have yet to make it to campus.
Nine signees went through spring practice as early enrollees while the rest, including transfer Hunter Johnson, will arrive on campus this summer. The Clemson Insider is taking a closer look at each newcomer and the likelihood of him contributing immediately this fall based on development and positional need.
TCI previously highlighted Keith Adams Jr., T.J. Dudley, Sherrod Covil Jr., Robert Gunn III, Kylon Griffin and Johnson. Next up is Cade Klubnik.
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185 pounds
Ranking: 5 stars (247Sports Composite)
Previous school: Westlake (Texas) High
Early enrollee? Yes
The skinny: Klubnik is the latest in a recent line of blue-chip signal callers to join Dabo Swinney’s program, following the likes of Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence and D.J. Uiagalelei, whom Klubnik is now sharing a position room with. Rated the top quarterback in the 2022 class in the 247Sports Composite, Klubnik helped Westlake win three consecutive state championships, including the last two as the starter. While it would be hard to find anybody who can match Uiagalelei’s pure arm strength, Klubnik can make all the throws and brings the kind of mobility to the position that Clemson hasn’t had since perhaps Kelly Bryant or even Watson.
Klubnik’s talent and high school credentials combined with Uiagalelei’s struggles last season naturally led to the expectation that Klubnik would immediately push Uiagalelei for the starting job. While Swinney said Uiagalelei remains the starter heading into fall camp, Klubnik’s strong spring didn’t do much to quell talk about a more open competition once the season starts. Swinney recently likened the Tigers’ current quarterback situation to that of Lawrence and Uiagalelei in 2020 when Uiagalelei appeared in 10 games as Lawrence’s primary backup. The difference is Uiagalelei doesn’t appear to have nearly as strong a hold on the starting job as Lawrence did that year, putting Klubnik in position for a larger role as a true freshman depending on how Uiagalelei performs this fall.
