Cade Klubnik Locked In, Leading Clemson into Spring Game with Veteran Confidence
By the time Cade Klubnik steps onto the field for Clemson’s spring game this Saturday, the lights won’t feel nearly as bright as they once did. The senior quarterback enters his final year in Tiger Town with the poise of a player who’s been through the fire—and come out sharper, stronger, and more focused than ever.
Last season, the Austin, Texas native threw for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just six interceptions while adding over 400 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground. It was a breakout campaign that firmly established him as one of the top quarterbacks in college football. And yet, with NFL draft buzz starting to build, Klubnik never flinched.
“I definitely got some feedback,” he said earlier this week, “but I knew I wanted to come back. I knew that it was the right decision, and I'm looking forward to this next year. So, I'm excited.”
The decision to stay wasn’t just about unfinished business—it was about the bond. Klubnik is quick to point out what many inside the program have quietly echoed: this Clemson offense is different. It's older. It's tighter. And most importantly, it’s intact.
“I think this is a really tight group—nobody really wanted to leave,” Klubnik said. “I think that deep down, nobody really wanted to. So, excited to have all of them back. I definitely tried my best to get them, so it worked.”
That chemistry is paying off in a big way this spring. For the first time in Klubnik’s Clemson career, the offense isn’t starting from scratch.
“Oh, yeah, it’s big time,” he said. “Since I’ve been at Clemson, we’ve always been a young team, especially a really young offense. So, to have the veterans that we have at all positions, it’s really special. We got to go into the offseason and take off where we left. We didn’t really have to reset and restart... we just kind of got to come back and hit the road running.”
Clemson ended last season with an ACC Championship and a playoff berth, rekindling national respect. But Klubnik is careful not to let momentum cloud the mission.
“I don’t really like to use the word momentum because if you’re living off the momentum, then the momentum can stop,” he said. “So I try not to just live off built momentum… I just try to go to work every single day, and that’s really it.”
That mindset is reflected in the way Klubnik has attacked the offseason. While last year marked a big leap in production and command, he’s far from satisfied.
“I think that I had a pretty good year last year,” he said, “but I want to be elite—and that’s consistency every game, every drive, every play. So I have a very high standard for myself, and I want to continue to chase that, and I’ve got great people that are holding me to that.”
He’s also focused on the details—the little things that separate good quarterbacks from great ones.
“Continually making big plays and not forcing them—letting the big plays happen and limiting bad plays and limiting negative plays. That was a big thing that I got better at last year.”
It’s a philosophy rooted in the teachings of Dabo Swinney, who constantly preaches the value of discipline and execution.
“Just making the routine plays look routine and making the impossible plays most of the time,” Klubnik said, grinning. “That’s what Coach Swinney likes to say.”
With his experience, leadership, and returning weapons, Cade Klubnik has Clemson poised to make noise in 2025. Saturday’s spring game might be a tune-up, and at best, we likely get a glimpse of a quarterback who’s no longer emerging. He’s arrived.
