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 they're not some Johnny All-American the first time they step on the field," Swinney said. Klubnik did not come into a pressure-packed role at Clemson naively.
His coach at Westlake High, ex-Texas passer Todd Dodge , warned him that No. 2 quarterbacks are often the most well-liked on campus. They are symbols of what can be.
Until they aren't. Dodge was also taught Klubnik to "dream the beautiful dream" before games, envisioning all of the throws he would make and the touchdowns he would score. When he's at peace, Klubnik plays his best.
He just can't say that's always been the case at Clemson. "There's just games where it's a lot. There's a lot coming your way," Klubnik said.
"Sometimes, you have everybody in Clemson in your ear and you have to learn how to shut it all off, shut off the phone, shut off everything, and focus on the people right around you." Heading into an opener with mighty Georgia, Klubnik believes he has a better sense of how to navigate the physical and mental challenges of being Clemson's quarterback. It certainly helps to be in his second run through in Riley's scheme.
He is more quickly recognizing what's available to him versus a defensive coverage and "canceling" routes in his pre- and post-snap progression. "Like, all right, I'm just skipping my first progression here, because I know it's Cover 3," Klubnik said. "I just didn't know those things when I was first learning it.
" Story continues below It wasn't until the last five games of the season, Klubnik said, that he really had a grasp on how to manage a game and not do too much. The mistakes leading up to that five-game winning streak were painful. He threw a receiver screen for a loss on what should have been a third-and-short handoff, in overtime, in a loss to Florida State.
He kept another would-be handoff at Miami, in overtime, failing to reach the end zone. He fumbled the ball too often, and just had a habit of making too many "negative plays," according to Swinney. "He took TFLs, tackles for loss, that shouldn't have been a tackle for loss.
Sacks, on him," Swinney said. "Those are things you want to see him take a big step forward this year as second-year starter. I think he will.
" Not only does Klubnik have a year's worth of notes from his successes and failures, he also visited some interesting places this offseason. He traveled out to California with teammates Antonio Williams and Jake Briningstool to train with ex-NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer. He swung through the Manning Passing Academy, where he was coached by Peyton on how to draw in linebackers on play-action passes.
At an Elite 11 quarterback camp, he spent an hour talking to former Southern Cal and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll about Russell Wilson's self-talk during moments of adversity. He also spent time studying film of Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe, and Texans passer CJ Stroud, noticing how they operate with calm feet in the pocket. "One thing I've strived to have, just calm feet," Klubnik said.
"There's times to be wiry. But there's other times to be in control." Klubnik will always be, to a certain extent, that excitable athlete who has trouble sitting still.
But teammates believe he's maturing and settling down. Clemson running back Phil Mafah said the offense has had more player-led meetings than ever this offseason, breaking down film as a group. Klubnik has been at the head of those sessions, holding teammates accountable, and telling receivers exactly where he wants them to be on routes.
"He's starting to use his voice more, telling us how he feels," Mafah said. "We need that as a quarterback, to be that guy we look up to, who is in control of everything. He's stepped up into that position.
" He's more mature, surrounded by a more experienced offense. Klubnik mentally scans the roster and he doesn't think the Tigers will have to start a freshman this year, which will be a first for his career. The ups and downs of last year, Klubnik believes, should be to Clemson's benefit this time around.
"Whenever you go through hard times with people you grow together," Klubnik said. "Our team went through hard times together, and we came out of it really well.".
