Dabo Swinney explains decision to put Cade Klubnik into ACC Championship game

Dabo Swinney finally made a quarterback change on Saturday, replacing DJ Uiagalelei with true freshman Cade Klubnik. The move has paid off in a big way as Clemson holds a healthy halftime lead over North Carolina in the ACC Championship.

When asked about the decision, Swinney said Uiagalelei missing throws on the Tigers’ opening couple of drives were the deciding factor. While the move was made back during the Notre Dame game, this experiment is going much better.

“Just missed some throws first two drives,” Swinney said. “We knew we were going to put him in third, fourth series. And he went in and never came out. Tried to do that Notre Dame game, threw a pick. Hey, this was the time. Proud of him, proud of the guys making plays.”

When asked if Klubnik was the guy for the second half, Swinney said yes.

When Klubnik was inserted into the game, the dynamic of the Clemson offense completely changed. At times, they have seemed unstoppable, even if North Carolina is not sporting the best defense on the other line of scrimmage. No matter which way you spin it, the freshman has made an impact.

In the first half alone, Klubnik completed 10 of his 11 passes, going for 149 yards and a touchdown. He has been effective on the ground as well, rushing for 32 yards on four carries. Swinney even made the call for a quarterback throwback play, with Klubnik hauling in a reception for 19 yards.

He has done a little of everything for the Tigers on Saturday.

Cade Klubnik was ranked a five-star prospect coming out of high school by the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services. He was the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 class and No. 18 overall in the country.

A highly rated prospect is now balling out on the ACC’s biggest stage.