Cade Klubnik Anointed as Clemson's Future After Replacing DJ Uiagalelei in UNC Win

DJ Uiagalelei's time in Clemson may be coming to an end.

The No. 9 Clemson Tigers took down the No. 23 North Carolina Tar Heels 39-10 in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, and it was backup true-freshman Cade Klubnik who got the job done after Dabo Swinney opted to bench Uiagalelei.

Klubnik completed 20-of-24 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown in the win. He also rushed for 30 yards and one score on seven carries. He was replaced by Hunter Johnson with under eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and Clemson up 39-10.

Uiagelelei was benched after two empty offensive possessions to open the game. He completed 2-of-5 passes for 10 yards before taking a seat on the bench.

Following Klubnik's outstanding performance, college football Twitter was quick to anoint him Clemson's future at quarterback:

Klubnik was a five-star prospect out of Austin, Texas, and the top quarterback in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He was also the sixth-best prospect in the nation.

In addition to receiving an offer from Clemson, Klubnik also received offers from the likes of Texas, Penn State, Michigan, LSU, Georgia and Florida. In June 2021, Klubnik told reporters that Clemson recruited him "harder than anybody when it comes to just staying in good contact and just staying in touch with me and just building a relationship."

He added: "I would say they did the best job of anybody, and they definitely went out of their way to do it. Then once, once they kind of offered me. I just kind of felt in my heart that this is kind of the place I need to be. This is the place I'm feeling called to go."

At this point, it certainly seems like Klubnik is the future at quarterback for Clemson. If so, the Tigers are in good hands for the next few years.