Scouting Report On Clemson QB Cade Klubnik

One of the favorites for the 2025 Heisman trophy, Cade Klubnik is a true senior entering his third year as Clemson’s starting quarterback. Once a five-star high school recruit, Klubnik hails from Austin, Texas, and spent his freshman season as D.J. Uiagalelei’s backup. He stepped in as the starter in the ACC Championship and the Orange Bowl, flashing enough upside for HC Dabo Swinney to name him the starter going into his sophomore season.

Klubnik took a big leap forward as a junior last year, throwing for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns while adding 463 yards and seven scores on the ground. He emerged as one of the country’s leading dual-threat quarterbacks, leading the Tigers to an ACC title and College Football Playoff berth. Expectations are high for Klubnik entering his senior season — both for his college season and his draft prospects. He’s considered by many to be a first-round-caliber prospect.

Standing at 6-2, 210 pounds, Klubnik doesn’t have prototypical NFL size. That hasn’t slowed him down yet, however, as he puts up teaching tape in a number of areas. His best attribute is his accuracy, particularly in the intermediate and deep areas of the field. Watch how he dots this deep pass in a spot only his receiver can get it:

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik puts this ball where only his receiver can catch it. Defense rotates to Cover 3 after the snap, which usually takes away these deep middle routes. Safety bites a little too hard on the underneath crosser, though, leaving a small window that Klubnik takes advantage of.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T03:06:55.264Z

The defense is running a disguised coverage here, showing a two-high safety look pre-snap and shifting to a single-high scheme (Cover 3) as the ball is snapped. The targeted receiver runs a deep post from the slot, a route that is typically taken away by this coverage scheme. However, the receiver gets a step on the corner, who fails to keep pace with him out of his zone. The safety bites down on the underneath crosser, which gives Klubnik just a little bit of daylight. That’s all he needs to loft a beautiful pass to allow his receiver to make a play.

This is another good example. Notice how Klubnik’s deep-field accuracy catches the defense by surprise:

Defense gets confused trying pass off the routes on the left side of the formation, but this is still a great throw from Clemson QB Cade Klubnik. Receiver doesn't even have to break stride as he glides through the secondary.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T01:21:23.108Z

In this third-and-long situation, the defense is playing a sort of prevent look, with four corners playing deep matching zones and a middle-field safety behind them. The two receivers on the left of the formation cross routes about five yards downfield, with the outside receiver running a slant-and-go (sluggo route) and the slot receiver running a corner route. The zone defenders fail to pass off their assignments properly, and the nickel corner gets caught flat-footed as the receiver blazes past him.

You can’t throw a better pass than Klubnik does here. He fires one in on a rope, leading his target away from the coverage and not putting too much air under it to risk a defender catching up. The safety has no chance as he tries to come over late, and the receiver doesn’t even break stride as he waltzes into the end zone.

This next play is maybe the most impressive throw I saw on Klubnik’s tape:

Super high-level throw from Clemson QB Cade Klubnik. Maybe my favorite rep from him last year. Late pressure prevents him from stepping into it, but he still puts it on a dot on the sideline.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T01:20:04.956Z

This was Week 1 against Georgia, and Klubnik didn’t have a great day overall. But this throw was masterful. Late pressure prevents him from properly stepping into the pass, so he’s essentially throwing off his back foot. But he still manages to place the pass perfectly on the far sideline, 30 yards downfield. The receiver had a small step on the corner and that’s all Klubnik needed to place it right in his hands.

Klubnik is often categorized as a precision-passing game manager, which does him a disservice. He has legitimate arm talent, and that last throw was evidence of that. Here’s another good look at it:

Doesn't matter that Clemson QB Cade Klubnik got hit as he let it go. Gorgeous deep pass dropped right in the bucket for his receiver.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T01:23:51.108Z

Hit as he throws? Doesn’t matter. This is another dot from Klubnik, taking advantage of the one-on-one coverage on the outside. He drops it right in the bucket, and as they say, a great throw will beat great coverage.

It’s not the only time he’s done it, either:

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik takes a huge shot on this play, causing the ball to hang in the air a bit more than he probably wanted. Still a pinpoint deep pass, giving his man a chance to go make a play.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T01:24:53.774Z

Klubnik takes an absolute shot as he’s throwing this pass, but even so, he puts it right on the money. The pass hangs up there a little more than it would have without the hit, but otherwise there’s nothing to complain about. He’s not afraid to hang in the pocket and take some hits to deliver big-time throws and create explosive plays.

It’s not just deep accuracy, either. He’s sharp and on time on rhythm throws, those middle-field passes that keep an offense on schedule. Take a look:

Great find on an in-breaking route by Clemson QB Cade Klubnik. Defense is in a Cover 4 look and he waits a beat for his receiver to clear the underneath zone defender.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T03:04:21.884Z

The defense is running Cover 4 here, and Klubnik has to wait a moment for his read to clear a few underneath zones. When he does, Klubnik rips it in there, not giving the defenders a chance to recover and break it up.

Klubnik might be the best seam passer in this class. Just watch this:

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik might legitimately be the best seam passer in the 2026 class. Navigates the pocket to buy a little extra time, then fires a bullet to his receiver to beat the coverage.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T03:05:20.350Z

A little pocket movement to buy an extra second, then a sharp pass right through the heart of the defense, arriving on time and in stride. Here it is again:

Playcaller drew up a Cover 4-beater and Clemson QB Cade Klubnik executed it perfectly. Drove the ball up the seam to his tight end.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T02:46:05.119Z

This is another example of Cover 4, and the playcaller dialed up the perfect look to beat it. Cover 4 tends to leave the seams vulnerable, and Klubnik takes advantage of that to find his tight end. His passes up the seams are so precise and timely, they beat even well-positioned defenders by leading his target away from the coverage. There’s some real zip on this particular pass, too.

One thing I haven’t discussed yet is Klubnik’s mobility. He’s not just a pocket passer, as he offers legitimate athleticism, creativity, and rushing ability to the position. Watch:

Great example of Clemson QB Cade Klubnik's improvisational abilities. Escapes the pocket and throws a strike on the run. Doesn't even have time to reset his feet.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T01:23:04.442Z

There are many more examples of him doing this. Klubnik has great awareness in the pocket and can create outside of structure. Here, he rolls to his left and doesn’t even have to reset to get the ball to a wide-open downfield target.

Klubnik isn’t just a scrambler, though. He was often used last year as a designed rusher. Take a look:

Designed counter run for Clemson QB Cade Klubnik. Breaks through the line and outruns the entire defense for a 55-yard touchdown.

— Ethan Woodie (@ethanwoodienfl.bsky.social) 2025-08-20T01:22:12.811Z

This might look like a zone read, but Klubnik isn’t actually reading a conflict defender. The jet sweep is just window dressing — this is a counter play run for Klubnik. The left tackle and left guard both pull around as kick-out blockers, and the rest of the line pushes their assignments to the left, creating a clear lane for Klubnik to run through.

It’s a well-designed play, but it becomes a touchdown because of Klubnik’s rushing ability. He has good vision in the open field and is quite fast, breaking this play open by shooting through the gap and outrunning the entire defense the rest of the way.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows with Klubnik, however. There are a few key aspects of his game he needs to improve upon to become a first-round pick. For starters, he tends to hold onto the ball too long. It comes from a desire to make the big play, and he often can. But he’s taken a combined 51 sacks over the last two years, which is simply too many.

Second, he’s still learning to read defenses in real time. He tends to lock on to his primary target and is sometimes confused by coverage rotations post-snap. That’s a bad combination, and it’s led to some ugly reps on his tape. His decision-making under pressure could use some work, too, as he got lucky on a few throws last year that probably should have been interceptions.

Lastly, and most concerningly, his short-area accuracy is questionable. For as much as I’ve praised his accuracy in this breakdown, his completion percentage was just 63.4 percent last year, which is more average than good. His ball placement on the “easy” throws leaves much to be desired, leading to issues operating the quick game and can hamper plays drawn up to create yards after the catch.

I also question how some of Klubnik’s strengths will translate to the NFL. I don’t think he’s athletic enough to stand out in the league, and right now he trusts himself far too much to escape every sack. This comes back to the sacks and negative plays, something that projects to get worse when he enters the league.

It should also be noted that smaller quarterbacks often struggle in the NFL, and Klubnik certainly fits the bill. We’ve seen smaller quarterbacks succeed in recent years, so it’s not a given. But it’s something he’ll have to overcome.

All that said, Klubnik is my QB6 in a pretty deep class of passers this year. I have a second-round grade on him right now, and with another year of natural development, I can definitely see him playing his way into the first round. There’s a lot of football left to be played before final evaluations, and Clemson fans should be excited about what Klubnik can be this year. Even if his draft stock doesn’t shoot up, he should be one of the best players in college football.