Dabo Swinney explains why Cade Klubnik is equipped to block out hype

Cade Klubnik enters the 2025 season with the reputation as one of the elite quarterbacks in college football. That wasn’t always the case.

Klubnik spent the 2024 offseason being criticized following his first season as Clemson‘s starter. He may have used that as a bit of extra motivation, according to his head coach Dabo Swinney. Klubnik answered by turning in the most impressive season of his career.

Now looked at as a Heisman Trophy candidate, as well as one of the first quarterbacks expected to be taken in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, all eyes will be on Klubnik when the season kicks off. Swinney opened up on how his QB1 has handled these high expectations throughout the offseason.

“That’s just part of it,” Swinney said. “Because there’s always external narratives, there’s always external opinions. … It can be a little fuel for your fire, but it can’t be the fire. Because if that’s your fire, other people’s opinions and narratives, if that’s your fire, you’re gonna be really inconsistent. Your fire’s got to come from within.

“… Cade is driven by the right things, and I’m sure he took a little fuel last year, but that’s not his fire. Same thing this year.”

2024 was Klubnik’s second season as the team’s starting quarterback, where he finished the season with over 3,600 passing yards and impressively, 36 touchdowns compared to six interceptions. His QBR (78.7) was ranked 12th-best in the country at the end of the season.

One year before, Klubnik was much less productive with 2,844 yards to go with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Taking the massive leap that he did during his junior year says a lot about who Klubnik is as a player, according to his head coach.

“He’s, he’s done a great job, been here three years. He’s just a model, dude, man,” Swinney continued. “He’s what you want, committed in every sense of that word. He’s a leader, he’s developed and gotten better, but he’s got to take another step.

“He did that last year, the things that he needed to improve on, taking care of the ball, not taking a bunch of sacks and TFLs and being a little more situationally aware, pushing the ball down the field a little bit, and getting physically a little more mature. He did all those things.”

Klubnik and Clemson will take on LSU in the season opener on Aug. 30. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET live on ABC.