Cade Klubnik has been the Clemson Starting QB for two full years. He’s passed for almost 7,000 yards with the Tigers. But why did the 5-star Westlake graduate head east to South Carolina and not stay home to play for Texas?
Back when Klubnik was going through his recruiting cycle, the UT staff was recruiting him hard. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was surprised when the Texas State Champion picked Clemson.
“Big fan of Cade,” Sarkisian said. “We recruited him hard. Obviously, local kid. Really possesses a great deal of competitive spirit, and you could see that when he was in high school at Westlake.”
But the son of two former Aggies had his eyes on Dabo Swinney. Klubnik’s family says he wanted to play for Dabo since his sophomore year in High School. Sark adds, “Thought we were the hometown team, and he had always had a dream of going to Clemson.”
But while Klubnik wanted Clemson, Clemson didn’t necessarily want him. Dabo Swinney had his eyes on another 5-star QB, Ty Simpson out of Tennessee. Dabo made it clear to Klubnik there would only be a scholarship for him if Simpson chose to go elsewhere.
In the meantime, Texas