Cade Klubnik injury update: Major news on Clemson QB's availability for Week 8 showdown against SMU

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik’s status is doubtful for the Tigers’ Saturday showdown against the SMU Mustangs. Klubnik left the Tigers’ matchup with the Boston College Eagles last weekend with an ankle injury.

Ahead of Saturday’s important matchup, ESPN’s Pete Thamel described the quarterback’s status as questionable. Speaking on the set of College GameDay, Thamel said:

“He’s questionable, expected to be a game-time decision. I’ve been told by my sources there’s not a lot of optimism Klubnik is going to be able to go. He injured his ankle late in Clemson’s game at Boston College."

Thamel added that backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina is billed to fill in for Klubnik on Saturday if the senior quarterback does not start. He said:

“Look for Christopher Vizzina to get his first career start today if Klubnik can’t go. He’s a redshirt sophomore who’s waited his turn behind Klubnik. It’ll be interesting to see what Clemson has, perhaps a glimpse of the future.”

Thamel had earlier reported on Friday that there’s a “general feeling of pessimism” in Clemson over Cade Klubnik’s availability. The feeling seems to have persisted, with doubt over the quarterback’s status lingering just hours before the game.

The Tigers beat Boston College 41-10 to go 3-3 last week. Klubnik contributed over 300 yards of total offense before his injury in the second half.

Dabo Swinney unsure about Cade Klubnik’s availability

The Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney had also expressed doubts about Klubnik’s availability to play on Saturday earlier in the week. He said:

“We’ve just been taking our time with him, and like I said yesterday, he’s gone from day-to-day to he’s hour-to-hour.”

However, he expressed hope to see him recover and be ready ahead of the game, saying:

“Hopefully, by tomorrow, he’ll be minute-to-minute, but we’ll put out a report tomorrow night. First one, and we’ll keep going. Getting better. Literally getting better every hour. We’ve just been smart with him, and he’s been able to do what he needed to do.”

If Cade Klubnik starts Saturday’s game against SMU, it will be his 35th consecutive start for Tigers. In six games this season, the quarterback has a 65.8% pass completion rate for 1,530 yards and 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Saturday's game between Clemson and SMU is a rematch of the 2024 ACC Championship game. The Tigers were the winner in that earlier encounter and will be hoping to record another win on Saturday against the Mustangs.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Kayode Akinwumi