By every statistical measure, Cade Klubnik’s 2024 campaign was a roaring success. But as the Tigers break camp just 11 days from a seismic opener against LSU, their quarterback isn't interested in chasing the ghosts of last year's numbers. He’s chasing something far more elusive, something he feels was missing even in his best moments: a killer instinct.
“I’m not even really focused on last year,” Klubnik said Tuesday. “Nothing that happened last year is going to matter when we go set the ball down.”
For Klubnik, the offseason has been a masterclass in self-scouting. And as he reviewed the tape from a season that put him in the national spotlight, he saw a recurring flaw—a tendency to ease off the gas, a mercy he can no longer afford to give.
“Looking back at last year… I wish I had a lot of plays back,” he admitted. “Missed some big-time plays that, when we were up big, let guys kind of linger back into games when I didn't want them to. I feel like sometimes last year we got up big and let up. So that's a big thing for me. It's not letting up. Let's stay aggressive for four quarters.”
That newfound mission for ruthlessness was reignited this offseason by a memory from his past. It’s a lesson that has reshaped his entire approach to finishing games.
“I remember my high school coach, we’d be up 40 in the third or fourth quarter and we’d keep driving on people,” Klubnik recalled. “People would ask him, ‘Hey, why are you not just letting off?’ And he’d say, ‘Because I respect my opponent.’”
That simple, powerful phrase has become Klubnik’s mantra.
“I want to respect my opponent,” he said with conviction. “I want to give them a full four quarters of what we have.”
This aggressive mindset isn't about padding stats. In fact, Klubnik is completely dismissive of his personal numbers.
“At the end of the day, I want to go win,” he stated. “That's the stat that really matters. If I go for eight touchdowns and 450 yards of offense but we lose, I don't really care. Pat myself on the back for what?”
His focus is singular: win the next game. That mentality is why, when he showed up to ACC Media Days, he wasn't promoting his own brand, but wearing a t-shirt featuring his center, Ryan Linthicum. “I didn’t really want to make it about myself,” Klubnik said.
This aggressive on-field approach is balanced by a remarkable off-field perspective. He shared a poignant memory from his senior year of high school when a shoulder injury sidelined him for three weeks. In that moment of personal devastation, his best friend and backup, Christian Edgar, got a chance to play. Edgar lit it up, throwing 15 touchdowns and earning himself a walk-on spot at Rice.
“In the midst of the chaos and what I was worried about, I had to kind of set my mind on, ‘Alright, what's God working right here?’” Klubnik reflected. “That was one of my favorite memories from high school.”
It's the perfect encapsulation of the man Clemson is counting on: a quarterback with the perspective to find grace in hardship and the newfound ruthlessness to never let an opponent off the mat. He’s already proven he can be great. Now, he’s ready to be a closer.