The NCAAF season has come to an end, and many will be seeking redemption in a few months. The Clemson Tigers are one of the most traditional programs in the country, which is why many choose to join in hopes of achieving great athletic results and excellent development. Cade Klubnik, the talented quarterback of the team, made it clear why he chose to be a part of this program.
When making the jump from high school to College Football, players carefully analyze their options to make the right decision for their future. In a recent interview on the Field Talk Podcast with ESPN’s Field Yates, Klubnik highlighted the reasons why he ultimately chose to join Dabo Swinney’s team.
“I remember Clemson, the reason I really wanted to come here was because I felt like through those conversations, with a lot of coaches and everything, I felt like, at times, I was just a name on a checklist,” Klubnik said.
“I felt like at times I was just a person somebody would call on Tuesday at 2 o’clock, talk to me for 30 seconds and say, ‘Alright, talk next week.’ Where I talked to Coach Streeter, I talked to Coach Elliott, the conversations I had with Coach Swinney later in my recruitment — Coach Streeter would talk to me about, ‘How’s your family doing? How’s your brother doing?’
Head coach Dabo Swinney (R) of the Clemson Tigers talks with Cade Klubnik #2 after a play against the Tennessee Volunteers at the end of the first half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“It was a very intentional conversation about wanting to know me as a person, not just football or whatever. Just the culture of what Clemson was, and just through a phone call, I knew that was just a tiny, tiny part of what it was going to be whenever I got here, and I just felt something was different.”
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Swinney adds a new member to his staff
With the main goal of improving the campaign where the Tigers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Texas, Dabo Swinney’s coaching staff added Tom Allen as the new defensive coordinator, coming from Penn State.
After his arrival at Clemson, Allen spoke with the press during his introduction and shared his thoughts on this new chapter in his career: “Yeah, it was totally unexpected to be honest with you. I know not everybody’s going to understand it, and I respect that. But what I said earlier was really the bottom line: it’s about my family,” the DC said.
“And the timing of it all, when you do this as long as I have, and you get to the point where you’ve had some great opportunities and experiences, you care about having your family as close as you can. And sometimes that’s not even possible. So, for my wife to be able to see her grandchildren on a consistent basis, you can’t replace that.”
Dabo Swinney followed Matt Luke’s advice
Tom Allen and Matt Luke shared a staff back in 2012 at Ole Miss, and this was one of the reasons why HC Dabo Swinney spoke with Luke before hiring Allen, to get a better understanding of what the new defensive coordinator could bring to the program.
Regarding this situation, Swinney stated: “So once I kind of got it down to a few people — I have a very tight circle. And I did talk to Matt. And sworn to secrecy, pinky swear. You can’t break a pinky swear.
“But no, Matt, he just couldn’t say enough great things about him. I talked to everybody he’s pretty much worked with. But Matt certainly gave me a lot of good insight, as well.”
