Cade Klubnik on playing for Dabo Swinney, Clemson: 'So, so thankful'

Quarterback Cade Klubnik could have gone anywhere coming out of high school and, really, maybe elsewhere in the transfer portal with how his college career began. Instead, Klubnik has stuck it out at Clemson and is so glad that he did.

Klubnik spoke on what it’s been like to play for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers at the podium at the 2025 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte on Thursday. He expressed his gratitude for getting to spend his college career there to this point ahead of his final season with the program.

“Ah, man. It’s unbelievable,” Klubnik said. “So, so thankful that Coach Swinney gave me the opportunity to come to Clemson. You know, I think, looking back on the last three and a half years and going into my last season just kind of brings my heart a lot of joy.

“You know, my recruiting process was a little wild. And, man, God is so good and the fact that he got to bring me to Clemson and take me through what he’s brought me through? It’s been so good.”

Klubnik has had an up-down-up career. He arrived as the top quarterback in his recruiting class who showed flashes as a true freshman. Then, as a sophomore, he struggled in his first full season as a starter. Finally, though, as a junior last fall, Klubnik broke out with a career-best campaign at 63.4% completion with 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while rushing for 463 yards and seven more scores, to take the Tigers back to a win in the ACC Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Klubnik realizes Swinney could have, or other coaches would have, quit on him with how he played at points as an underclassman. However, Clemson kept on with him, leading to last season’s successes and this coming year’s hype around the team and him as their quarterback.

“To have a coach like Coach Swinney to lean on through everything, the ups and the downs has been unbelievable,” said Klubnik.

“To have somebody that believes in me, you know, after my sophomore year when everybody kind of told me I sucked and wasn’t very good and a lot of people wanted me out of Clemson? Coach Swinney pulled me into his office and told me, ‘Cade, I believe in you. Let’s go to work,'” Klubnik remembered. “For somebody that I look up to and believe in tell me that he believes in me just fueled me with confidence when he could have gone and done what a lot of other coaches would do but didn’t and pulled me in tight and said I believe in you? You know, I’ll never forget that moment and that conversation has fueled me for the last two years.”

Klubnik has one season left to add to what his career has been at Clemson. Regardless, no matter how it plays out in the end, he’s grateful for what all it’s been so far with the Tigers.

“So, so thankful for my time at Clemson and it’s been really awesome,” said Klubnik.

Swinney speaks on conversation, relationship with Klubnik

Swinney went on to discuss the conversation that Klubnik mentioned in his comments just a few moments later while at the desk on ACC Huddle. He noted how important it was for him to express his belief in him, based on who he was as a person and his resumé as a player, with his quarterback struggling in ways he had never before to that point in his life.

“Again, I knew what he was going through. And, again, you’ve got to understand the person,” Swinney said. “I mean, three state championships in a row, never lost a game in high school. I think the closest game he played in was 14 points. And, all of a sudden, you come in and, right out of the gate, you know, he’s kind of a backup. Then we put him in the ACC Championship game and he’s the MVP, you know, and it’s like, everything’s perfect, right, and, you know, it’s like, this is his life to this point.

“And then you come out the next year and you have an overtime loss, a double-overtime loss. The next thing you know, it hasn’t gone (well). Now, for the first time, he’s really got a lot of football adversity and then it’s, you know, your coach stinks, you stink, you’re never going to win with this guy. There’s comparison in this world of social media where there’s, you know, all this stuff.”

“But, this guy is a winner and I just, I mean, he had great support around him, he’s got a great foundation to his life. I watched how he worked and how he processed things from, like, whether it was something good or something bad,” Swinney said. “You know, people like that? Again, when they’re made of the right stuff, they’re going to get better.”