Clemson's Dabo Swinney Details Expectations for Freshman QB Cade Klubnik
CLEMSON, S.C.- The expectations fans have for incoming freshmen like Cade Klubnik can be fairly unrealistic at times.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback from Texas was the top-rated quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class and rated as a 5-star player by multiple recruiting services. After helping lead his Austin Westlake high school team to consecutive state titles over the past two seasons and soaring up the recruiting rankings, expectations from some inside the fan base rose dramatically.
The expectations from the Clemson coaching staff are a little more in the realistic range, though, and according to head coach Dabo Swinney, they're no different than they were for any other freshman quarterback beginning their first season with the program.
"The expectation is he comes in here and, you know, he's the guy that we recruited," Swinney said before the start of spring practice. "And you know, he's a leader, he's a detailed preparer and he takes the field with great preparation day in and day out, and learns from his mistakes and just gets better as he goes. That was the expectation for Deshaun (Watson), it was the expectation for Trevor (Lawrence) and the expectation for DJ (Uiagalelei), no different. So just show up and let's see where he's at."
DJ Uiagalelei enters spring with a firm grasp on the starting role. Behind him are former walk-on's Hunter Helms and Billy Wiles taking the second and third string reps respectively, with Klubnik beginning the spring as the fourth guy on the depth chart.
However, with only four quarterbacks taking reps during the spring, Klubnik will have ample opportunity to show exactly where he is in his development as a quarterback as he begins his college career.
"Good news for him, he's gonna get a lot of reps," Swinney said. "So right out of the gate here, you know, he'll get a ton of work and I'm excited to see him on the field. It's always fun to see those those new mid years. You know, they have their first practice, there's a lot on those guys even they're all really talented, young football players. This is a this is a big day for them."
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