Clemson is awaiting a decision from Martin (Tenn.) Westview four-star quarterback Ty Simpson, who is expected to choose between Alabama and Clemson during his commitment ceremony this Friday.

In the meantime, the Tigers remain in contact with another top signal-caller in the 2022 class, Austin (Texas) Westlake four-star Cade Klubnik (pictured above, left).

The Tigers intend to take one quarterback in this cycle, and Klubnik would be a prime candidate to fill that spot should Simpson commit to the Crimson Tide at the end of the week.

Klubnik (6-2, 185), a top-50 national prospect per Rivals, continues to build a relationship with Clemson’s staff and spoke with quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter by phone again on Monday.

“We just kind of talked about life and were just kind of talking,” Klubnik told The Clemson Insider in a one-on-one Zoom interview. “We just keep building a relationship and getting to know each other, and he was just asking how my day was. We talked a decent amount. So, we just talked, but it went good. It was just a good conversation.”

Klubnik and the Clemson staff have been staying in touch for quite a while now, and the coaches have made a great impression on the Lone Star State standout while getting to know him over time.

“I really like them,” Klubnik said. “They’re a lot of really good people. I’ve built a good relationship with all of them. Just good people that I feel like I know pretty well now on all levels.”

As Clemson waits on Simpson’s decision, Klubnik is waiting on a potential offer from the Tigers that would figure to come his way if Simpson chooses Alabama.

“I think we’re just going to kind of wait and see,” Klubnik said of where he stands with Clemson regarding an offer. “It would be pretty big for me. It would be huge.”

Klubnik said he hopes to render his commitment in the next month or two, and though he hasn’t formally cut down his recruitment to a top group of schools, there are a few standing out to him.

“Definitely Clemson and then North Carolina, Florida, Texas… Kind of still narrowing it down,” he said. “I haven’t come out with anything really official yet.”

Moving forward in the recruiting process, Klubnik feels his heart will tell him when it is time to make his college choice and where he should go.

“I think I’ll just know,” he said. “There’s a lot of factors that go into it. But at the end of the day when I’ve come down to a couple schools, it’s just going to be kind of a gut feeling.”

Clemson has what Klubnik is looking for in a school, both from an athletic and academic standpoint, and would instantly become a leading contender in his recruitment with an offer.

“Definitely the consistency of success in the football program is huge, and then definitely the people every day to be with and to grow with is definitely huge, definitely something that I look for every day,” he said. “Obviously great academics and a really cool campus and somewhere that feels like home.”

Klubnik and his family traveled to Clemson last fall to check out the campus and attend the Tigers’ game against Syracuse in October.

As a junior this past season, Klubnik led Westlake High School to its second straight 6A state championship, completing 68 percent of his passes for 3,495 yards and 35 touchdowns with just three interceptions while also rushing for 583 yards and 15 more scores on the ground.

Klubnik is ranked as the No. 40 overall prospect in the 2022 class by Rivals, which considers him the nation’s No. 9 pro-style quarterback in the class.

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