When speaking to the media on Wednesday about Clemson football’s matchup with No. 1 Georgia, quarterback Cade Klubnik has still remained his same old self.
A lot of this calmness ahead of a Week 1 clash is due to the excitement and work that he has put in throughout fall camp, which has led to high expectation of the offense under the second year of offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
“I think we’ve had a great energy to us all year,” Klubnik said, “especially this fall camp and the summer. We are a really tight group and it’s fun to play another season with a bunch of guys I have already played with. Just really excited. I think we had a great fall camp and there’s a great pulse to us, for sure.”
Cade Klubnik
While first-game jitters could occur with a high-octane matchup, Klubnik goes through a consistent routine every day, not worrying about the approaching of Saturday, which is only in a few days.
“Every day I have woken up and had have gone to work excited to play another game and to kind of put that work into life,” he said. “So, right now, I am focused on having the best practice that I can go have today and go make myself better today. When Saturday comes around, it will come around. I know that’s been repetitive for me this offseason to take things one day at a time, but even with how close we are to a game, I’m still focused on what I can do today to get better for that game.”
Most have eyed Klubnik as a new leader on this squad, with many raving about how he leads by example. For the junior, he said it takes time to grow into the role.
“I just feel like I have a deeper and more meaningful relationship with my teammates,” he said. I think that quality relationships take time, and, obviously, being here for my third year now, relationships will naturally grow deeper and deeper.”
Moving onto Georgia, Klubnik will see a familiar face who he has spent time with in recent months: quarterback Carson Beck. The two spent a lot of time with each other at Manning Passing Academy, which united many top college quarterbacks across the country.
“It was definitely fun to hang out with him and chat about it a little bit, but he’s a great player and [I’m] excited to see how the rest of his career goes,” Klubnik said. “Obviously he is going to have a long NFL career so [I’m] excited to see him and it will be good to see him.”
But the game plan for the Bulldogs? Klubnik did not say, but he is excited for the challenge that their defense presents, but commemorates his squad for preparing the offense for a tough contest.
“They’ve got a great defense. A lot of guys are going to play next level for a while, and it’s exciting. I think we have great guys on our defense that are preparing us every single day that when we show up, we will be ready for that. They’ve got a lot of great talent over there though, it will be an exciting matchup.”
Klubnik and the Tigers will kick off at noon in Atlanta against Georgia, and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
