Skip to main content
Thursday, November 12, 2026Nov 12
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Clemson freshman QB prepares to start Orange Bowl vs. Vols

AP photo by Jacob Kupferman / Clemson freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik passes during the Tigers' ACC title victory against North Carolina on Dec. 3 in Charlotte. Klubnik was named MVP of the game and will make his first college start when Clemson faces Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
AP photo by Jacob Kupferman / Clemson freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik passes during the Tigers' ACC title victory against North Carolina on Dec. 3 in Charlotte. Klubnik was named MVP of the game and will make his first college start when Clemson faces Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. AP photo by Jacob Kupferman / Clemson freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik passes during the Tigers' ACC title victory against North Carolina on Dec. 3 in Charlotte. Klubnik was named MVP of the game and will make his first college start when Clemson faces Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

By PETE IACOBELLI / The Associated Press 4 min read

CLEMSON, S.C. — Cade Klubnik looked poised and confident in his new role as the No. 1 quarterback at Clemson.

The only difference is he didn’t have experienced teammate DJ Uiagalelei alongside to help guide him.

Klubnik took control of the offense — for good this time, after Uiagalelei entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 5 — as the 10th-ranked Tigers continued postseason preparations for their Orange Bowl matchup with No. 6 Tennessee on Dec. 30 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The game will be Klubnik’s first college start after a freshman season spent mostly on the sideline and behind Uiagalelei, Clemson’s oft-criticized two-year starter.

Klubnik, who came on in relief in a 39-10 win over North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Dec. 3, has had “a front-row seat to the good and the bad of what it’s like to play quarterback at this level,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said this past week.