Cade Klubnik enters his final season at Clemson with championship aspirations. The quarterback believes his development under the Tigers has prepared him for one last push.
“I think that I’m kind of the epitome of the word ‘development,'” Klubnik said on On3’s Andy & Ari podcast. “What Clemson’s done with me is they’ve developed me, they’ve gotten me better. So, if I’m a quarterback and I’m wanting to get better, Clemson is the place to do it.”
Head coach Dabo Swinney has Clemson sitting at No. 3 in the 2026 recruiting cycle rankings.
Early Signing Day remains six months away, but the Tigers continue adding talent.
Swinney secured the commitment of defensive end JR Hardrick on Thursday. The South Pittsburg High prospect chose Clemson over Virginia, Mississippi State and Louisville.
Hardrick measures 6-foot-6 and weighs 231 pounds. He’s ranked as the No. 26 player in Tennessee by 247Sports Composite rankings.
“The 6-foot-6, 231-pounder from South Pittsburg High in Tennessee is rated the No. 26 player in the state by the 247Sports Composite rankings. Hardrick chose Clemson over Virginia, Mississippi State and Louisville,” Yahoo Sports’ Derrian Carter wrote.
Hardrick had scheduled an official visit to Louisville for June 9. That visit may no longer happen.
Defensive ends coach Chris Rumph secured a crucial commitment after missing on earlier targets this cycle.
“After striking out on a couple of other offers on the board, Rumph began targeting the South Pittsburg, Tenn. native when he took a spring visit to Clemson on March 24. He took other trips to Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina before arriving on the Tigers’ campus. Then he went to Louisville, and got an offer. However, it was the Tigers that got it done quickly after his first OV, which he took with his family,” 247Sports’ Austin Hannon wrote.
Hardrick becomes the second defensive end commitment in Clemson’s 2026 class.
The Tigers expect to maintain this recruiting momentum as Swinney and his staff continue making strides on the trail.
