Rinse and Repeat: An Already Bulked Up Cade Klubnik Impressing Clemson HC Dabo Swinney

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media after spring practice on Wednesday and said freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik is reminding him of some former standouts the Tigers have had at the position.

So far, Cade Klubnik is everything Dabo Swinney thought he would be.

The freshman quarterback has been extremely impressive through his first five spring practices, according to Swinney, and when asked how he compared to other Clemson greats at the position like Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, the head coach was quick to note it's just more of the same.

"Rinse and repeat. Same type of deal," Swinney said. "Very, very sharp."

The early enrollee and the nation's top-rated quarterback coming out of high school, Klubnik has been so good in fact, that he's already getting some second-team reps.

"Very sharp," Swinney said. "Just getting a ton of work with the two's. He's really responded well. He is just a natural, he's everything we thought he was."

Klubnik was one of the twelve players that signed with Clemson during the early signing period, and at the time, one of the things Swinney referenced that would be important for the quarterback this spring, would be Klubnik's ability to fill out some before the start of the season. So far, so good.

"He has put on some weight since he got here, already bulked up," Swinney said. "He's 180-something, upper 80's close to 190. He'll easily probably be 200, 200 plus when we get to August."

Klubnik did nothing but win at the high school level, finishing his career at Westlake undefeated as the starting quarterback and helping lead the Chaps to state titles in his junior and senior seasons. He left as the school's all-time leader in passing yards (7,426) and passing touchdowns (86), passing other Westlake greats such as Drew Brees, Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger.

Just five practices into the spring, Swinney has seen some of those same traits from Klubnik as he begins his career at Clemson. The head coach went as far as saying that coming out of high school, Klubnik is almost identical to Watson, the quarterback that helped lead the Tigers to a national title in 2016, then went on to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2017. 

"Very similar to the Deshaun," Swinney said. "If you took a picture of Deshaun Watson in January when he got here, put them side by side, they are like clones. Body types, you name it. Weight, the whole deal with kind of where their starting point is. Excited about where he is and how he's responded." 

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