Dabo Swinney praises freshman QB Cade Klubnik for work ethic, progress during 1st fall camp

Clemson freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik is progressing well in his first fall camp, according to head coach Dabo Swinney.

Swinney spoke to reporters on Tuesday and gave some insight into how Klubnik’s fall has been going so far.

“Just more confident,” Swinney said, via 247Sports. “More knowledgable. Third time to get the installation and you can tell he’s put in a ton of work on his own. That’s how he’s wired, a real football junkie type guy. Really good leader.

“It’s just slowed down a little bit for him. Knows right where to go with the ball and when he makes mistakes he can process it right away.”

Klubnik isn’t technically in a quarterback competition this fall with returning starter DJ Uiagalelei still on campus, but it’s possible the Tigers will call his number at some point this season. Uiagalelei struggled last year and, while Swinney has been defending the former 5-star prospect

, Klubnik’s presence does give Clemson options.

Last season, Clemson didn’t have a strong enough backup option to turn to while Uiagalelei was struggling. That changes with Klubnik, who is also a former 5-star prospect. He was the No. 1 overall quarterback in the class of 2022, per 247Sports Composite rankings

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Uiagalelei finished the year with the ACC’s worst passer efficiency rating amongst qualified quarterbacks. If Klubnik continues to show promise and improvement — and Uiagalelei falters again or gets injured — he could get brought into the starting lineup at some point during his true freshman season.

Clemson opens the 2022 season with Georgia Tech on Sept. 5.