Cade Klubnik Earns SI All-American's Elite 11 MVP Honors
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- Sports Illustrated All-American has named Austin (Texas) Westlake quarterback Cade Klubnik as its undisputed winner of the 2021 Elite 11 Finals.
Klubnik, who is committed to Clemson, was the lone passer to finish in the top three of SI All-American's daily rankings each day in Los Angeles. He took home top honors in the Pro Day circuit and finishing second by the slimmest of margins during the Accuracy Gauntlet, just behind Texas commit Maalik Murphy.
"I’m just so excited, it was exactly how I dreamed (of) the week going," Klubnik told SI All-American following his enshrinement. "Crazy how it all worked out. We had an amazing group. Coach (Jordan) Palmer, I’ve probably learned more in the past three or four days than I’ve learned in a long time…
“This is definitely up there for sure…that’s a huge personal goal of mine — just to have that honor.”
From the Elite 11 coaching staff, which had Klubnik on top after the first day before he won their metric for the gauntlet on Friday — the decision would come later in the day.
The honor was the latest accolade for one of America’s premiere prep prospects. Klubnik, who led Westlake to a state championship as a junior, is also an All-American bowl selection in addition to local and regional tabs in the Lone Star state.
In 2020, he registered a head-turning 35:3 touchdown to interception ratio while completing 67% of his passes in accounting for 50 total touchdowns (15 rushing).
Klubnik was named MVP of the 6A state championship game against Southlake Carroll following an 18-of-20 passing performance.
RELATED: SI All-American's Elite 11 Finals Composite Rankings
You can find our summary of Klubnik's performance throughout the week below.
Day one ranking: 3
Day two ranking: 1
Day three ranking: 2
Whether you rely on data or spoken word around the camp, the winner of the 2021 Elite 11 Finals emerged as an obvious one for SI All-American throughout the week: Clemson commit Cade Klubnik.
Owning a top-three ranking for his performance each day, Klubnik demonstrated consistent poise throughout the week, refusing to allow the pressure of the event to get to his head. His accuracy was immaculate from start to finish, placing passes perfectly to all three levels of the field, sideline to sideline. Klubnik's velocity didn't falter as his throws added up, and his touch was elite on deep shots.
Although he isn't a destructive rusher, Klubnik made a strong impression throwing on the run in camp as well. Clemson will benefit from maintaining a similar offensive system with Klubnik as it put on the field with Trevor Lawrence, utilizing his feet when necessary but relying on his ability to place a football anywhere on the gridiron.