Steve Sarkisian Was 'Surprised' When Cade Klubnik Chose Clemson Tigers

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian offered up praise for Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Westlake quarterback Cade Klubnik loks out over the field after the win over Guyer in the Class 6A Division 2 State Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Dec. 18, 2021. Westlake defeated Guyer 40-21. Aem Westlake Vs Guyer 26 / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian had some big-time praise for Clemson Tigers quarterback when meeting with the media last Sunday after it was announced that No. 5 Texas and No. 12 Clemson will face off in the first round of the College Football Playoff in Austin on Saturday, Dec. 21.

It's no surprise how highly Sarkisian thinks of Klubnik when considering he tried to recruit him as a local product out of Westlake High School in Austin, a topic he touched on when previewing the quarterback's ability.

"Big fan of Cade," Sarkisian said. "We recruited him hard. Obviously a local kid. I thought he really possesses a great deal of competitive spirit, and you can see that when he was in high school at Weslake. He's a winner. He's going to do what it takes. He'll throw it, he'll run it, he'll block. I mean, that guy will do whatever it takes to try to put his team in position to be successful. That was obviously a heck of a team with Michael Taaffe and a lot of really good players on that team."

Sarkisian also admitted that he was "surprised" Klubnik committed to Clemson as a five-star quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class due to his Austin roots along with his connection to the Texas A&M Aggies.

"When he made the decision to go to Clemson, honestly, I was surprised," Sarkisian said. "Both his parents went to A&M, and we were the hometown team. And he had always had a dream of going to Clemson. And for him, I think what a cool story of getting into the College Football Playoff, and the first-round game is right here in Austin, back home for him. So a lot of really cool story lines to this ball game, and that's definitely one of them."

Since arriving to Clemson, Klubnik has gone 633 of 997 passing for 6,844 yards, 54 touchdowns and 17 interceptions across three seasons. He's also added 273 carries for 779 yards and 13 scores.

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