Klubnik doesn’t need to be Watson or Lawrence to return Clemson to CFP

Since the end of last season, this is what I have seen and heard from many Clemson fans when it comes to this year’s offense.

“We got a chance to be better, but can we trust Cade Klubnik?”

It’s a fair question. One I have evened asked when thinking about the prospects of the 2024 season.

However, are we being fair to Klubnik?

Have we given up on him too soon?

It’s not the first time Clemson fans have been down on their quarterback.

I can guarantee you no one thought Homer Jordon was going to be a First-Team All-ACC quarterback and lead the Tigers to a 12-0 perfect season and a national championship following the 1980 season.

I can guarantee you that no one thought Rodney Williams was going to lead Clemson to three straight ACC Championships after the 1985 season.

So, let’s not give up on Klubnik just yet, as Jordan and Williams proved, there can be a big jump in a quarterback’s progression from year one as a starter to year two. In fact, some of Clemson’s best quarterbacks made huge strides from year one to year two, including Steve Fuller, DeChane Cameron, Woodrow Dantzler, Charlie Whitehurst, Tajh Boyd, Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence.

Granted, no one was questioning the abilities of Watson and Lawrence after their first year as starters. However, Cameron had some doubters, and so did Boyd.

Cameron, who was 19-4-1 as a starter, made a huge jump in his second season as Clemson’s starting quarterback. He threw for 416 more yards, his completion percentage went up five points, he ran for 97 more yards and scored one more rushing touchdown.

More importantly, he led the Tigers to the 1991 ACC Championship, as Clemson led the ACC in total offense and scoring.

Though Boyd led the Tigers to an ACC Championship in 2011, and threw for 3,828 yards and 33 touchdowns, some still doubted him heading into 2012. Boyd proved all the doubters wrong with one of the greatest seasons in Clemson history.

He earned ACC Player of the Year honors, the first Clemson quarterback to do that since Fuller in 1977 and 1978, while leading the Tigers to an 11-2 record, capped with a Chick-fil-A Bowl win over LSU.

In year two as a starter, Boyd progressed into a better overall passer and runner. His completion percentage went up nearly eight points (59.7 to 67.2). He threw for 68 more yards (3,828 to 3,896) but he did it while throwing 72 less passes (499 to 427).

Boyd ran for 296 more yards (218 to 514) and scored five more touchdowns (5 to 10).

Is Klubnik going to be the next Cameron or Boyd? Maybe.

In fact, the chances are better he will be a Cameron or Boyd than a Watson or Lawrence. To be honest, for Clemson to get where it wants to go, that is all it needs him to be.

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