AUSTIN, Texas — Cade Klubnik had one of the most impressive careers of any quarterback to play high school football in Texas.
He was part of three state titles at Westlake from 2019 to 2021, didn’t lose a game as the starting QB during his junior and senior year, and he left Westlake in 2021 as a 5-star prospect and signed with Clemson. Klubnik has been the Tigers’ starting QB for the past three years, and during that time, he had some impressive moments, like leading his team to an ACC title and playoff appearance in 2024.
“One of the games I’ll forever remember is the ACC championship last year, Nolan Hauser hitting that field goal to win it,” Klubnik said. “That will forever be a moment I won’t forget.”
The end of the 2024 season and the way Klubnik played that year created a lot of buzz for him and the team heading into 2025. Klubnik was a Heisman front-runner, and the team started the season ranked fourth, but Clemson struggled to start the year, losing three of their first four games. It was a real moment of adversity for Klubnik.
“Obviously, it was not the season we were looking for,” Klubnik said. “We had big aspirations and did not reach those, but I’m thankful for it, to be honest.”
Klubnik says he took a lot of lessons from the early losses. He and the team were able to bounce back and win their final four games of the regular season.
“I learned how to show up and climb back to win six more games,” says Klubnik. “For me, that came from showing up every single week.”
Klubnik is hoping to take those lessons to the next level. He’s entering the 2026 NFL Draft and hopes to hear his name called in a few months.
This past week, he practiced in front of scouts as one of the guys selected for the East-West Shrine Bowl. He’s hoping to show he can be that elite QB that can lead an NFL team and bring with him some knowledge from going through adversity in college.
“Never grow content where you are,” says Klubnik. “Whether you’re at the top or at the bottom, always keep working because there’s always someone better than you and you can always get better.”
If he’s drafted, Klubnik will join a prestigious group of former Westlake quarterbacks to play in the NFL, like Drew Brees, Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger.