Clemson Quarterback Cade Klubnik Announces Future Plans

After four seasons with the Clemson Tigers, something that is uncommon in the state of college football currently, quarterback Cade Klubnik announced what he will be doing next.

Klubnik announced on his Instagram that he will be declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. He will look to hear his name called in April to get to the next step of his career.

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“These past four years exceeded every expectation I had, and I’m excited for what’s next,” Klubnik said in the post. “It’s a true honor to say that I will be declaring for the NFL Draft.”

The Austin, Texas, native finished his career as one of the most memorable Clemson quarterbacks in program history. He is the leader in pass completions (916) and pass attempts (1,432), finished third in total passing yards in the school’s history (10,123) and started 40 games at quarterback. He is the fifth quarterback in Tigers history to do so.

Klubnik fully got the position after a breakout performance in the ACC Championship against North Carolina, which saw him win the game’s Most Valuable Player award to kickstart his Clemson career. He would not miss another start until SMU this October.

With him at the helm, the Tigers won two ACC Championships and had two seasons of nine wins or more in the three seasons that Klubnik was the starter. Clemson was a College Football Playoff team last season, with the quarterback being able to go home and face the Texas Longhorns in the place where he grew up.

Each ACC Championship the program won, Klubnik was the Most Valuable Player from the game.

In total, the Clemson quarterback finished with over 11,000 yards of total offense and 90 total touchdowns. He left his mark as a Tiger; now Klubnik will look to break through into the NFL next season.

According to NFL Draft Buzz, Klubnik is the No. 6 quarterback in the class, being behind Miami quarterback Carson Beck and ahead of Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia. After beginning the season as a potential first-round pick, Clemson’s poor start led to him dropping.

Pro Football Focus has Klubnik ranked as the No. 127-ranked player in the draft class.

He will bring a dual-threat ability to the NFL in seasons to come, also bringing in plenty of experience as a starter that could allow him to compete for a starting spot as a backup.

Now, Klubnik will look to follow in the footsteps of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence as Clemson’s next important quarterback at the professional level.