AUSTIN, Texas — It’s a loss that led to quarterback Quinn Ewers leaving high school early.
In January 2021, Ewers led Southlake Carroll against Austin Westlake with the 6A Division 1 state championship on the line. But while Ewers finished with a gaudy 351 passing yards and three touchdowns, he would fall to an Austin Westlake team led by quarterback Cade Klubnik.
Ewers declared for college that spring and enrolled at Ohio State as a freshman before transferring to Texas. Meanwhile, Klubnik led Westlake to a third state title as a senior before committing to Clemson.
The two will now battle on Saturday in Austin, with just four wins standing between them and a national championship.
Klubnik’s return home
For Klubnik, the first step toward leading the Clemson Tigers back to a national title begins just a few miles from where he grew up and played high school football. A school that produced NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees, Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger.
It promises to be an emotional return. When the Tigers and Texas Longhorns were announced as first-round opponents, a camera quickly found Klubnik with a stunned look on his face as Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney hugged him.
“You know, Quinn and I go way back,” Klubnik said. “We played each other in seventh or eighth grade and so on. My junior year in the state championship game was definitely a very high-profile game.”
Klubnik didn’t match Ewers’ passing volume, but his efficiency was off the charts. He threw for 220 yards and a touchdown while completing 90% of his passes. He also ran for another 97 yards.
“That ain’t fun when the fastest guy on the field is touching the ball 100% of the time,” Southlake Carroll coach Riley Dodge said after the game.
Klubnik also had some help from his teammates, including current Texas players Michael Taaffe, Ethan Burke and Colton Vasek. Taaffee described Klubnick as his best friend during their time at Westlake because the pandemic robbed them of doing anything but throwing a football around.
Taaffee intercepted Ewers during the high school state championship matchup and looks forward to what he can do against Klubnik this weekend.
“My job is to take my opponent’s soul,” Taaffe said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s my best friend or the guy I hate the most on this planet.
The road to the playoff
Both programs have been rejuvenated by their Texan signal callers.
Klubnik became Clemson’s starter last season, throwing 19 touchdowns as a sophomore en route to a 9-4 record. Following a brutal loss against Georgia to start the year, Klubnik salvaged Clemson’s first ACC championship and playoff berth since 2020.
Texas was officially back last season after winning the Big 12 and making the four-team playoff for the first time under Ewers. He followed up that campaign by getting Texas to No. 1 for the first time since 2008 before a narrow loss to Georgia in the SEC title game.
As for facing Klubnik again, Ewers called it “cool.” Back in high school, Ewers had a swashbuckling mullet haircut that flowed from under his helmet. Now the most radical thing about him might be a slightly scraggly beard.
“Me and Cade have a good relationship,” Ewers said. “It’s definitely cool to get to play each other again, come full circle.”
Oddsmakers list Texas as a 12-point favorite against Clemson.