Cade Klubnik
It is not a secret that Cade Klubnik did not do many favors to his draft stock during 2025. He was another Clemson player who saw a drop in his production from the previous year.
Klubnik was seen as a clear top three quarterback in this draft class before the 2025 season started, after throwing for over 3,600 yards and 36 touchdowns the season prior. He struggled through much his last season, looking rattled too often for a senior quarterback. To make matters worse, Klubnik also suffered a lower body injury against Boston College. The injury kept Klubnik out of one game, and handicapped him a bit for the remainder of the season.
Klubnik finished the 2025 season with a 65.6% completion rate for 2,943 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions. While he did not look as bad as he did at times in his sophomore year, some of the same bad traits started showing back up. There were too many times Klubnik lacked poise and rushed his decision making.
What does work in Klubnik’s favor, is he was not the only quarterback in the draft class who did not live up to expectations. Drew Allar from Penn State struggled before unfortunately suffering a season-ending injury halfway through the year. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier was just as inconsistent as Klubnik throughout the season. Those were supposed to be the other two players that rounded out the top three quarterbacks in the 2026 draft.
Instead, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza has made himself the clear top quarterback in this daft class. Alabama’s TY Simpson has made a great case in many people’s minds to be called the second best. Most experts covering the draft see it as a toss-up for the third best at the position, but Klubnik’s name is in that mix.
Klubnik needs to remind people of his excellent arm talent and elite athleticism for the quarterback position. He can make himself the clear number three quarterback in the class, and possibly even creep into the number two position if everything goes right.