CHARLOTTE — Cade Klubnik spent about a half-hour seated on a dais in the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, appearing cool and collected in his light blue suit and slicked-back hair as a swarm of reporters peppered him with questions. Yes, he feels more comfortable heading into his second season as Clemson's starting quarterback. Yes, he agrees with his offensive coordinator, Garrett Riley , who noted a calmer presence from the naturally excitable Klubnik as he ran the Tigers' offense in spring practice.
But he's still a work in progress, in some ways. Klubnik thought about drilling poise into his sometimes overactive feet, and he remembered how long he'd been sitting in a chair for his ACC Kickoff interview session. "It's tough.
I'm a twitchy, wiry guy," Klubnik said. "I'm surprised I'm even able to sit down for this long." Klubnik was a bit too frenetic as a sophomore, leading an offense that was far too prone to disastrous errors.
He didn't always look comfortable. It did nothing to calm the nerves of Clemson fans who watched DJ Uiagalelei fail to reach the impossibly high bar set by Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence in six straight playoff seasons. The Tigers hope a down-and-up first season for Klubnik — starting 4-4 but persevering to win five straight games — has shaped the young quarterback rightly.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has found himself reminding everyone that the development curves of Watson and Lawrence were not normal. "We're just so quick to crucify people if t.