"The guy’s done a tremendous job": Kirby Smart highlights Cade Klubnik as Clemson's X-factor in Georgia's season opener showdown

Cade Klubnik has the respect of Kirby Smart. In one of the biggest games of Week 1 of college football, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs of Smart will clash with the No. 14 Clemson Tigers of Dabo Swinney.

Both schools enter the 2024 season with something of a chip on their shoulder. Kirby Smart's Bulldogs are the first school in the CFP era to be dropped from the playoffs after being ranked No. 1 all year long. For their part, the Tigers had a season that was not quite up to their standards with a record of 9-4, missing the ACC championship game.

It was last season's performance that led some to believe that Cade Klubnik might not be the man to lead the Tigers from the huddle in 2024, but he retained the support of Dabo Swinney. He also seems to have the respect of Kirby Smart.

“Yeah, our report is, No. 1, very experienced, has played in a lot of football games,” Smart said on an SEC teleconference call on Wednesday. “And when you have a quarterback that’s played a lot of football games, it’s an advantage. I mean, we both have kids that have experience, so the quarterback is such a key part of every game because he has to make a decision every play. Touches the ball every play.

“I think the guy’s done a tremendous job. He’s going to be even better with a year’s worth underneath his belt of this offense."

Klubnik threw for 2,580 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his sophomore year. On the ground, he had 194 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Dabo Swinney's expectations for season opener against Kirby Smart's Georgia

Dabo Swinney also had his pre-game press conference on Tuesday, where he set the expectations for the Clemson Tigers for Saturday's game.

“We’ve got one goal, and that’s to achieve our first goal,” Swinney said as part of his opening remarks. “That’s what we’re trying to go down to Atlanta to do. It’s certainly going to be a huge challenge, and playing a game like this, you usually only get opportunities like this in the postseason, the playoffs, the national championship.”

The clash between the Tigers and Bulldogs is the most anticipated clash of Week 1. No other game will showcase teams this highly rated battling it out. The game is set for Saturday at noon ET and will be available on ABC and ESPN+.