Saturday's first-round playoff matchup between No. 12 seed Clemson and No. 5 seed Texas isn't just a battle for a spot in the national championship run; it's a redux of a high school rivalry that Texans are all too familiar with. Texas' own Quinn Ewers of the Longhorns and Cade Klubnik of the Clemson Tigers are set to clash once more in a quarterback duel that's been years in the making since their memorable faceoff in the 2021 Texas Class 6A state championship. According to AP News, their high school showdown is considered legendary in a state overflowing with football lore.
In their last high school encounter, Klubnik piloted Austin Westlake to a victory over Ewers' Southlake Carroll. Now, years later, Ewers leads a Texas team that was able to quickly ascend to the No. 1 spot before suffering a tight defeat to Georgia in the SEC championship game. "It's definitely cool to get to play each other again, come full circle," Ewers revealed in a statement obtained by AP News. On the flip side, Klubnik had to not only overcome a tough loss at season's opening to Georgia but notably chucked 33 touchdowns to bring Clemson to an ACC championship and their first playoff berth since 2020.
Adding to the emotional weight of this playoff game, the Clemson QB is set to play just a stone's throw away from his high school turf in Austin, a town that holds a special place in his football journey. "You know, Quinn and I go way back. 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 recalled in an interview with KVUE. His performance that day was pivotal, matching Ewers' prowess with his own efficiency and athleticism—numbers that made their past faceoff one for the books.
Adding another layer of intrigue to the game are Texas players, like safety Michael Taaffe, who have a history with Klubnik from their Westlake days. "My job is my to take my opponent’s soul. It doesn’t matter if it’s my best friend or the guy I hate the most on this planet," Taaffe stated candidly in a statement obtained by KVUE. This sentiment underscores the intensity sure to be on display when former teammates step onto the field as adversaries with much at stake. As for the odds, it appears Texas holds the edge as a 12-point favorite in the game that promises to reignite one of Texas' hottest quarterback rivalries on the college stage.
