Dabo Swinney Gives Clemson Fans Idea of What to Expect from Cade Klubnik

With there being a lot of uncertainty surrounding how Cade Klubnik is going to perform during this upcoming season, Dabo Swinney shares some information with Clemson fans.

Sep 4, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) talks with head coach Dabo Swinney during the fourth quarter of the season opening game at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. / Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson was able to win two College Football Playoff national championships with two different quarterbacks, proving that if they can just get the right signal caller under center, they have a great opportunity to be the best team in the sport.

That's easier said than done, though.

When Deshaun Watson left for the NFL after winning the 2016 National Championship, they had a short time period between their generational quarterbacks as Trevor Lawrence led the Tigers to the 2018 National Championship.

Since then, Dabo Swinney and his staff have been searching for the next guy to lead them to the promised land.

While DJ Uiagalelei was struggling, Clemson fans were pushing for the coaching staff to turn the reins over to their five-star freshman, Cade Klubnik, who had won Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas and was the top ranked quarterback in the 2022 class.

They got their wish when the freshman was inserted into the 2022 ACC Championhip Game following the early benching of Uiajalelei. He flashed his potential, throwing for 279 yards and a touchdown to secure a 39-10 win over North Carolina.

Coming into last season, there were tons of expectations that this youngster would be the next superstar Clemson quarterback and get them back to prominence.

Things didn't go as planned, though, as the Tigers failed to win 10 games under Swinney for the first time since 2010. The erratic play of Klubnik was a large part of the reasoning for that.

So, heading into his junior season, there are questions about how he might perform.

Some around the country think he was overhyped coming out of high school and doesn't have a high ceiling, putting a limitation on what Clemson can accomplish while he's there. But, past college football legend and current ESPN analyst Greg McElroy thinks a bounce back year could be on the horizon for Klubnik.

All of that is speculation from the outside.

That's why it was important to hear what Swinney had to offer about his expectations for his quarterback entering the upcoming season.

"He, in our eyes, has taken the next step that we need to see to this point. Now it's gotta go happen on the field, and that's what you want to see ... So, we expect him to take another big step for us, and he's really not that far," he said per The Clemson Insider.

What this entails will ultimately be seen, but there's a good chance that all it took was a bit of time for the 20-year-old to reach the collegiate ceiling that was expected of him when he first enrolled.

Swinney has been around college football for a long time, and he knows sometimes it just takes getting comfortable in a system to see high-end results.

"He was a first-year starter, and we’re just so quick to crucify people, if you will, if they're not some Johnny All-American the first time they step on the field ... If you're made of the right stuff – and you've got to have the talent – but if you've got the talent and you're made of the right stuff, the right type of character, football character, work ethic, will to improve, then you're going to get better, and he's got all that," the Tigers head coach added.

All of this will come to fruition when the Tigers take on the Georgia Bulldogs in a massive opening game of the season on August 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.