Clemson Tigers star quarterback Cade Klubnik has gradually improved under center for Dabo Swinney’s program. His junior campaign saw him record a career-high total of 3,639 passing yards and 36 touchdowns against just six interceptions through 14 games for the Tigers. He also converted 63.4 percent of his throws and burned rubber for 463 rushing yards and seven scores on 119 carries.
Many believe that he’ll be among the most coveted quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL draft, especially if he can put together an even more impressive 2025 season for Clemson football, which went 10-4 and clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Cade Klubnik gets NFL QB comp
There’s still a lot to learn for NFL scouts about the capabilities of Klubnik, but for now, NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com is seeing Ryan Tannehill in the Clemson star signal-caller.
He reminds me of: I spent a lot of time combing through old reports to find a comp for Klubnik. I couldn’t find one that stood out as an ideal match, but his notes read similar to the ones I made for Ryan Tannehill when he was coming out of Texas A&M.
Obviously, Tannehill is much bigger, and I thought his arm strength was better than Klubnik’s is at this point in time. However, both guys are very athletic, possessing ideal quickness and the ability to create plays. They both throw with touch and timing and excel on loft passes down the field. Tannehill carved out a solid, decade-plus career, making the Pro Bowl in 2019. Klubnik has areas where he needs to continue to improve, but he has the upside to follow a similar NFL path.
Tannehill started his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins, but it was with the Tennessee Titans when he arguably played his best football and enjoyed more team success, as his three trips to the NFL playoffs all happened while quarterbacking for the AFC South division squad.
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