While Clemson fans might not be thrilled with the Tigers' draw as the No. 12 seed in the College Football Playoff, quarterback Cade Klubnik has to be excited about the opportunity to play at No. 5 seed Texas. That's because the matchup will give the Austin, Texas native an opportunity to play in his hometown. What's more, it will present him with a chance to square off with a familiar foe.
Klubnik is a graduate of Austin's Westlake High School. That school had produced a number of NFL quarterbacks such as Drew Brees, Nick Foles, and Sam Ehlinger.
While in high school, Klubnik, who grew up going to Texas Longhorn football games as a child, was one of the best QBs in the country. He was rated a 5-star prospect by 247Sports which had him as the No. 1 QB in the nation in the class of 2022.
What's more, in January of 2021, after the COVID-19 delayed 2020 season, Klubnik and Austin Westlake squared off with Southlake Carroll in the Texas 6-A Divison I state title game. At quarterback for Carroll that day was Quinn Ewers who is now the starting QB for the Texas Longhorns in 2024.
In that game, Klubnik and Westlake prevailed 52-34. Klubnik ended the day 18-for-20 through the air for 220 yards and one touchdown while also racking up a season-high 97 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Ewers was 23-of-39 for 351 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Speaking about Klubnik's return to his hometown for the first round of the playoffs, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said that it was a "cool" opportunity for his signal caller.
"When Texas came up," he said, "it was just kinda like, this is amazing. Because there's a lot of storylines...It's all about the game but that's a cool storyline for our quarterback. You just never know how things are going to work out in this crazy game of college football and for him to be going to his first playoff...and his first playoff game in Austin, Texas where he grew up...you can't make that up."
Of course, Clemson fans hope history repeats itself this year and Klubnik is able to score another win over Ewers in a playoff setting. If that happens, Klubnik will have quite the chapter to add to what has already been a wild season.