Dabo Swinney makes bold comparison for five-star QB signee Cade Klubnik

Dabo Swinney and Clemson just added a special player to the roster as part of the 2022 recruiting class. On Wednesday’s National Signing Day, Clemson officially signed On3 Consensus five-star quarterback Cade Klubnik. The On3 Consensus rankings list Klubnik as the 20th overall player nationally and the top quarterback in the 2022 class.

In adding Klubnik, Clemson is getting a tremendous athlete and a potentially great quarterback. Swinney made a bold comparison for Klubnik on Wednesday, comparing him to one of the all-time great Clemson quarterbacks.

“He’s special. I mean he’s magic,” the Clemson coach said of Klubnik. “It’s just kind of what I see. He reminds me so much of Deshaun (Watson), just his traits, his attributes as a quarterback. Even his frame and his build coming out of high school. Very similar. Cade’s faster probably than Deshaun, but very similar skill sets. Man, just a great presence. But the biggest thing is this guy is out there playing in front of 30 plus thousand people at Texas Stadium there and probably going to play in front of 40, 50 thousand this weekend.”

In addition to playing in a great atmosphere in front of a lot of fans, the Clemson coach said that Klubnik has learned under one of the best high school coaches in the country in Todd Dodge at Westlake (TX).

“He just has an unbelievable poise and presence and command,” Swinney said. “And he’s so blessed. I mean to be able to be in an environment like that, it looks like college teams out there the way programs are run. Texas high school football, it’s pretty unique. And then Todd Dodge, I mean this guy is a great football coach. I mean you’re talking about Drew Brees, Nick Foles, Sam Ehlinger and several other guys. I mean he’s one of the best high school coaches every in our country and he’s also been an excellent college coach. So he just has been very fortunate to be in the situation that he’s been in.”

Swinney is glad that Clemson got Klubnik: ‘There’s a reason why he’s the number one guy’

In Klubnik, Swinney believes that Clemson is getting a winner. He was won at every level, and Klubnik has the makings of the next quarterback on a list of all-time Clemson greats.

“And then he’s forced into being a starter, kind of got the job there as a sophomore. And now he’s going for three state championships in a row,” Swinney continued. “He’s a winner, he’s a big time winner. And it’s a high, high level of football. So he’s just real well prepared. But his skill set, incredibly accurate, can extend, can create, and just has a great feel for where everyone is on the field. He’s a good one.

“There’s a reason why he’s the number one guy in the country. He’s proven that, he’s earned that. Every competitive environment that he’s gone to, he’s risen to the top. So super exciting to have another coming in here of that caliber.”