Four-star Texas QB gets a feel for Clemson on trip
Austin, Texas quarterback Cade Klubnik (6-foot-3, 178 pounds) came to Clemson Saturday to see the town, campus and program in person for the first time. And while in the neighborhood, Klubnik also got a look at Georgia. Clemson has not yet offered, and Georgia offered late last week. Klubnick and his parents visited on their own as the NCAA has banned all official and unofficial visits thru the end of this calendar year. So, Klubnik could walk around and buy a ticket for the Syracuse game, but he couldn’t visit with or talk to coaches.
“We went to the game on Saturday, and we walked around town for awhile and drove and walked around campus, ate dinner and some more on Sunday,” Klubnik said. “We were just kind of own our own. We ended up slipping by the (football administration) facility, not going inside obviously, because everything was on our own. We couldn’t do anything with the coaches, couldn’t talk to them, couldn’t go inside anywhere, but we still got a really good look at everything. It was really fun.”
Klubnik added that from the outside, the Allen N. Reeves football administration facility looked impressive.
“It’s huge. It’s big,” Klubnik said. “I’ve done some video tours with them just seeing the inside, and some tours around and seeing what’s really going on day to day, and it’s really, really, really good. Just great facilities, 21st century stuff. It’s really good stuff, very unique and different. I really like it.”
Klubnik said he left Clemson with a very positive feeling about the town, the campus and the program.
“I loved it. I really liked it,” Klubnik said. “The campus. The game. The whole experience, the atmosphere, the people, I really enjoyed it a lot. I really liked it. I really enjoyed their whole style of play and their offense, especially with what I’m doing now in high school, kind of what I’ve always done. So, I really liked that a lot, I really like what they do on offense.”
With their flight out of Atlanta leaving late afternoon Sunday, that afforded Klubnik and his parents the opportunity to stop by Athens on their way down I-85 to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“Looked around campus and ate lunch there and walked around a little bit,” Klubnik said. “It was cool. It’s very different (from Clemson). Much more spread out campus. I went and saw the stadium. It was pretty cool. They were very different, but I liked it too. It was much more spread out. I liked about Clemson everything was pretty close together within walking distance.”
Klubnik talked to Clemson quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter Monday night. He’d love to have the option of considering a Clemson offer along with all the others. At this points, it’s just a matter of wait and see.
“Hopefully,” he said. “I know they are liking me every week a little bit more, and talking more and more and more. Just keep building a relationship. I think it’s going pretty good on my end and on theirs.”
Some of Klubnik’s other offers are Maryland, Auburn, Baylor, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Colorado, Utah and Michigan State.
Klubnik is ranked as the No. 10 pro-style quarterback in the 2022 class in the 247Sports Composite. Last season he passed for 680 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception, and he rushed for 271 yards and three scores. This season according to MaxPreps stats, he’s passed for 910 yards and 9 touchdowns with zero interceptions, and he’s rushed for 199 yards and five touchdowns.
Note:
The nation’s top-rated pro-style quarterback in the 2022 class is back on the market. Quinn Ewers (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) of Southlake Texas on Wednesday night announced a decommitment from Texas. He had committed to the Longhorns in August. In announcing his decommitment, Ewers wrote on Twitter that he did not thoroughly explore all of his options before committing and he has decided to reassess before making the decision again. And that assessment apparently won’t take long. Ewers also wrote that he will soon have a “firm decision” on his college choice and will announce that.
South Carolina and Clemson were both involved with Ewers prior to his Texas commitment. The Gamecocks were one of the first schools to offer him, but they already have a 2022 quarterback commitment in five-star Gunner Stockton. Clemson has not yet offered Ewers, but the two sides were close enough that Ewers was scheduled to visit last November, but he had to cancel after becoming ill.
Why is Ewers so highly coveted? Last season he passed for 4,003 yards with 45 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for 568 yards and nine touchdowns. In three games this season, Ewers has passed for 937 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has rushed for 78 yards and two scores. Clemson has offered two other 2022 quarterbacks, Braden Davis of Florida and Ty Simpson of Tennessee. The Tigers also like Cade Klubnik of Texas. He was offered by Virginia Wednesday.