Dream the Beautiful Dream: Klubnik relies on coach's advice as opener nears

Cade Klubnik is poised to make his second career start when the Tigers travel to Duke.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Monday, August 21 2023

CLEMSON – Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik doesn’t have many superstitions or gameday rituals, but he does rely on the advice of his high school coach as the season opener against Duke approaches: Dream the beautiful dream.

Klubnik is set to make the second start of his collegiate career in two weeks when the Tigers travel to Durham to take on the Duke Blue Devils in Wallace Wade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 pm (ESPN) on Labor Day night, and Klubnik said the Tigers are ready to start the season.

“I feel like we are getting just about there. Two weeks from today,” Klubnik told TigerNet following Monday’s practice, the penultimate of fall camp before school starts Wednesday. “It is going to fly by, and we are going to be up there in no time. We are obviously excited for it, and we are getting there. Getting to that point. We are starting to get into that preparation for Duke now, and obviously, our coaches have been looking at it, and we've been getting into the little stuff, but truly getting into the opponent and that game scheme in practice now. It's an exciting time of the year.”

Unlike a lot of quarterbacks, Klubnik doesn’t rely on a plethora of rituals or superstitions. He doesn’t care about listening to the same music or wearing the shirt. What he does care about is consistency in his preparation.

“Nothing crazy, to be honest,” Klubnik said of his rituals. “In my warmups, I try to do it the exact same way every single time. I guess that is a ritual. Just try to keep the same warmup, the same sequence of events almost, in the way I warm up and get my mind ready. And throughout the day, I will try and envision the game.”

Envisioning the game is something he learned from Todd Dodge, who was his coach at Austin (TX) Westlake.

“I remember my high school coach used to tell me, 'Dream the beautiful dream.' He always used to say that,” Klubnik said. “He would say that before the game even starts, either the night before or the day before the game, just sit for a while and close your eyes and envision yourself making every single throw you can throw in that game. Envisioning everything perfect. And then once you get to the game, it's like you've already done it before.

“Obviously, that is the point of practice - we are doing everything we will do in a game - but just to sit by yourself and see everything. The perfect pass. The perfect read. That is just something I always do that is always really helpful."