DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Cade Klubnik had been Clemson’s starting quarterback for less than 24 hours. His first official start was still almost a month away.

But the day after coming off the bench to ignite the Tigers’ offense with 279 passing yards in a 39-10 rout of North Carolina in the ACC title game, he sat down with his parents at Rick Irwin’s, a steakhouse in Clemson, to start the first day of a brand-new existence and celebrate the successes of a memorable weekend.

His dad, Tod Klubnik, a retired software marketer and salesman, had to ask the biggest question: What does it feel like?

For the better part of the past decade, Cade Klubnik had dreamed of playing out his college career at Clemson. He loved Dabo Swinney long before he first spoke to Clemson’s head coach, and the program eventually ticked all the boxes on the checklist for where the five-star prospect would land.

Coaches who cared about him as a person? Check.

A culture where he felt like a good fit? Check.

Established success and continuity? Check.

Oh, and it wasn’t too cold.

“Cade is a southern boy,” Tod KlubniK Said.