Cade Klubnik Reveals Many Asked Him if He Wanted To Leave Clemson Last Year

Cade Klubnik didn't leave Clemson, but he had people asking if he wanted to last year.

Dec 7, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) celebrates after winning the 2024 ACC Championship game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Bank of America Stadium. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

As Clemson gets ready to take the field on Saturday against a Texas team some believe is one of the three best teams in the country, all eyes will be on Cade Klubnik.

Klubnik didn't always have it easy at Clemson, as the Tigers were one of the most disappointing teams in college football a season ago. To say this season went much better would be an understatement. The Tigers made it back to the top of the ACC, winning the conference title game. 

It was a step in the right direction for Clemson, but any season that doesn't end in a national championship for a program of this caliber will be considered a disappointment.

Even if Klubnik plays his best football, the standard Clemson has set over the past decade-plus has been to win championships. They've accomplished that with the ACC, but this program is never content. They want to win it all. 

But getting here is an incredible honor for a Clemson team that looked like it could be reaching its end.

Many believed Clemson's rich history could be ending, and time was passing Dabo Swinney. In response to those critics, the team is now in the College Football Playoffs and will have an opportunity to shock the world.

Before all of this, Klubnik recognized how tough things were. In an interview with ESPN, he acknowledged that many told him he should leave Clemson.

After being a prized high school recruit, the hope was for him to come to Clemson and be a top pick in the NFL draft one day. That might not be the case right now, but if he continues to improve, anything is possible. 

"It was tough," Klubnik told ESPN. "I had a lot of people in my ear after last season asking if I wanted to leave."

Instead of leaving when things got tough like many of the other top players in college football have done, Swinney knew exactly what he had to do. He didn't critique the young man and tell him to hit the portal; instead, he made him understand how much he meant to the program, both as a player and a person. 

"I never had any doubt with Cade," Swinney said. "If I did, I would've gone and taken a big-time portal guy. But I believe in Cade. He's a worker, he's gifted, he's smart. He deserves all the credit because he's really grown."

Fast forward to a few days before Clemson is set to play in the CFP, and he remembers those words.

"After a season you wouldn't ever dream of having," Klubnik said, "to have somebody like that come and tell you he still believes in you and trusts in you, that means a lot."

Whether they win on Saturday, Clemson should be proud of its season. Klubnik flipped the script and will now have an opportunity to do much more for a program he deeply loves.