The expectations that come with being the quarterback of Clemson football are immense as we’ve seen over the last two seasons.
Ten-win seasons aren’t enough. Even an 11-2 season and an ACC Championship are not enough.
The expectations are to reach the College Football Playoff and I’m willing to guess that’s not even enough, depending on the season.
It reminds me of when Augie Garrido was coaching Texas baseball and he said the expectations around the program were so high that they used the National Runner-Up trophy as a doorstop.
As I’ve watched, read and listened to the reactions to Cade Klubnik’s performance Saturday night in Charlotte, Monday’s transfer portal news regarding D.J. Uiagalelei and thought about the Orange Bowl to come, I began to wonder if Clemson fans are expecting too much from Klubnik.
My guess is sitting here today, the fans will say “no”, just complete the easy passes, like the one on the first play from scrimmage in the ACC Championship Game. Just make the layups as Dabo is fond of saying.
In the shorter term, we shall see if that’s true or not when the Orange Bowl rolls around, but we’ll really see next season when this is Klubnik’s team.
I’ve disagreed with a lot of the narrative around Clemson football from the national media this season, but the one thing I haven’t disagreed with is the assessment that neither D.J. or Cade is Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence.
Are Clemson football fans making the same mistake with Cade Klubnik as they made with D.J. Uiagalelei?
Personally, I think Klubnik will grow into a very good quarterback. Will he lead the Tigers over Alabama (or Georgia) for a National Championship?
A lot of that depends on the team around him. The Ben Boulwares, James Skalskis, Dexter Lawrences, Mike WIlliams’ and Tee Higgins.
It’s not lost on me that the Klubnik hype is here after he’s thrown 46 passes in his college career.
Remember what we were thinking about D.J. after 46 passes in his career?