Klubnik deflects praise, credits team

CLEMSON — Cade Klubnik has drawn comparisons to Clemson’s greats while leading his team to a fiery start in ACC play.

In the Tigers’ (5-1, 4-0 ACC) win over 10th-ranked Wake Forest last Saturday, Klubnik secured the fifth 300-yard game of his career, going 31-of-41 passing for 309 yards. Right now, only four Clemson quarterbacks can boast more 300-yard games than the junior.

Klubnik also passed former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei for the seventh-most touchdown passes by a Clemson player (38) in the win. He found three different receivers in the end zone, including Troy Stellato, for his first touchdown catch of the season.

Many have claimed that Klubnik’s apparent overnight improvement is the reason for the Tigers’ dynamic start. After all, his impressive stats parallel the team’s dominant wins.

But Klubnik says his success would be nothing without the improvement of those around him.

“I don’t think there’s a direct correlation between my play and the team’s success right now,” he said. “It’s everybody else. It’s the offensive line doing a good job this year. It’s a very, very elite receiving room, a very elite tight end room, he’s got the best running back in the country next to me. So it’s not just me making plays, it’s all eleven guys working at once.”

While Klubnik has received constant praise over the past month, he also knows what it feels like to be on the negative side of conversations.

After starting the 2023 season with a 4-4 record and suffering a crushing loss to Georgia in the first week of this year, many were willing to put all of the team’s problems on the signal caller.

Now, Klubnik’s primary mechanism for overcoming wavering opinions is to focus praise on those around him.

“Quarterbacks are always going to get too much praise and they’re always going to get too much hate sometimes, but that’s the job that comes with it,” he said. “So whenever I get a chance to honor my guys, they deserve everything because they’re doing the same job that I’m doing every day.”

Klubnik gets another chance to spread praise and football this Saturday when the Virginia Cavaliers come to Memorial Stadium to take on the Tigers. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at the ACCN.