QB to QB: Inside the special bond between Clemson’s Tajh Boyd and Cade Klubnik
There were many times during the 2023 season when Tajh Boyd wished he could step in for Cade Klubnik and simply take the bullets himself.
After all, the first great quarterback of the Dabo Swinney era had been in Klubnik’s shoes a decade earlier, riding the rollercoaster that comes with starting at QB for a major college football program.
So when Klubnik struggled as a first-year starter — making critical mistakes for a Clemson team that started 4-4 and opting to have food delivered to his apartment so he didn’t have to show face on campus — Boyd understood his plight in a unique way, arguably more than anyone else in the building.
That proved to be a blessing and a curse, he said.
“The tough part is, you can’t experience it for him,” said Boyd, now a Clemson offensive analyst and assistant quarterbacks coach. “You can only be there with him in it.”
Two years later, the vibes surrounding Clemson football are very different — and the bond between former star Boyd and current star Klubnik is as strong as ever.
Preseason No. 4 Clemson is considered a national championship contender, and Klubnik, heading into his senior year, is viewed as a Heisman Trophy favorite and first-round 2026 NFL Draft pick after racking up 45 touchdowns as a junior.
And Boyd, one of Klubnik’s top mentors and confidantes, has had a front row seat for that growth.
“I think he’s the best quarterback in the country,” Boyd told The State. “I really do.”
Tajh Boyd, from Clemson star to mentor
It’s not like Boyd, 34, is solely responsible for Klubnik’s rise. He’d be the first to credit Klubnik himself for putting in the work to become a potential No. 1 overall draft pick. Klubnik frequently talks about leaning on his Christian faith in hard times, plus the support and belief he’s always gotten from his family, close friends, Swinney and Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
But there’s something special — and impactful — between these two Clemson QB1s.
“Tajh is probably one of the best people I know for building somebody’s confidence up and just encouraging somebody,” Klubnik said in 2023. “I’ve never seen him discourage somebody. … And he’s been through everything we could possibly go through. Just to have him in my corner, in the QB room’s corner, is huge. … I’m so appreciative of him and the mentor he is to me.”
Boyd, Klubnik added on a podcast last year, is one of “my favorite coaches I’ve ever had.”
Boyd, meanwhile, raves about Klubnik’s “complete transformation” at Clemson.
“He’s got a special skillset, but he’s also got a special heart, a special mindset,” Boyd said. “And the guys believe in him. When you’ve got that, you’ve always got a chance.”
Their timelines are almost identical. Boyd, Clemson’s all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total touchdowns, returned to his alma mater in summer 2021 in an offensive player development role. Klubnik, the nation’s No. 1 QB recruit in the Class of 2022, enrolled at Clemson the following January.
So they have plenty of war stories.
The good: Klubnik coming off the bench, replacing DJ Uiagalelei in the 2022 ACC championship game and torching UNC in a blowout win. The bad: Klubnik’s uneven performance in the Orange Bowl a month later, in his first career start.
And the ugly: A 2023 season in which Klubnik threw nine interceptions and lost five fumbles and faced what felt like weekly calls from fans to either be benched or hit the transfer portal.
When he was a star QB at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, Klubnik “won and won and won,” Boyd said. “But adversity will hit. Who will you be then? To watch him go through it — the hurt and pain and struggle — and find a way to stand back up on his own two and battle through it … I mean, that’s what you’re looking for.
After starting 4-4 and 2-4 in the ACC, Clemson rallied to win its last five games in 2023 and Klubnik started laying the groundwork for his breakout 2024 season. He ended the season on a high note, coolly executing a game-winning drive to beat Kentucky in a thrilling Gator Bowl that featured 42 fourth-quarter points.
And Boyd, who’d supported him all season, was there for a celebratory handshake.
Klubnik could ‘shatter’ Boyd’s records in 2025
After a rocky season opener against Georgia, Klubnik and Clemson’s offense built on their strong finish the previous year and hit offensive numbers that hadn’t been seen since the Trevor Lawrence era. Klubnik had 4,102 yards of total offense in 2024, and his 36 touchdown passes tied Boyd and Deshaun Watson for the second most in a single season in Clemson history.
Clemson went 10-4 (7-1 ACC), won the ACC championship over SMU and returned to the College Football Playoff for the first time in four seasons.
Because of Klubnik, “we were never out of a game,” Boyd said.
His mentee played so well that Klubnik, 21, now enters his senior season in good position to break a handful of Boyd’s all-time Clemson records.
Boyd’s passing TD record (107) and total TD record (133) feel safe. But Klubnik — who already ranks among the top five in most major Clemson passing categories — is hot on his heels in other stats. Barring injury, Klubnik should break Boyd’s records for career pass attempts, completions, total offense plays and snaps by a QB.
If Clemson’s offense is humming and the Tigers make a long CFP run, playing as many as 16-17 games, other major Clemson records could also come into play. Klubnik needs 4,725 passing yards to pass Boyd’s career record of 11,904. He needs 5,106 yards of total offense to break Boyd’s career record of 13,069.
It’s a long shot — 4,725 passing yards would also be a Clemson single season record, too, while 5,106 yards of total offense would be just shy of Watson’s record 5,219.
But if Klubnik does it, Boyd might be happier than anyone.
“We had some record-setting things last year offensively and I think it’s only going to be better,” Boyd said. “So he could very well shatter everything — and hopefully so. Because if that’s the case, obviously, he did his job. And we did ours as well.”
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
