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Clemson football now can turn to the offseason to build off its College Football Playoff run. Will it mean building around Cade Klubnik one more time? Or is it time to think of a new starting quarterback in 2025?
Klubnik delivered career-best numbers for the Atlantic Coast Conference champions. The junior has some fans believing he's NFL material after producing 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns. The era of the transfer portal and NIL, however, is also coaxing stars like him to head elsewhere.
Klubnik, however, exited out of the CFP early along with the rest of his team. Texas rolled to the 38-24 win, which later saw Klubnik make a classy gesture to the senior Tigers. But is Klubnik also on his way out?
Turns out Klubnik himself has no definitive answer and what his '25 plans are. He shut down discussions about his future after the loss.
“I’m just trying to deal with the emotions of tonight,” Klubnik said, per Clemson reporter Dan Morrison of On3.com. “Just trying to deal with the emotions of tonight and I got to play my last football game with a lot of these guys. So, I’m not thinking about that right now.”
What is the standout quarterback really thinking about?
“I’m just thinking about the relationships I’ve built over the last three years and that’s really what I’m thinking about right now,” Klubnik said.
Cade Klubnik lost in his own hometown vs. Texas
The CFP first round contest became a ruined homecoming for Clemson's QB1.
Klubnik is an Austin native who starred for city powerhouse Westlake High. He emerged as the top overall recruit in Texas for the Class of 2022 by 247Sports. Texas even extended an offer to him out of high school. Same with the other Lonestar State power conference representatives Baylor, TCU, SMU, and Texas A&M. Klubnik trekked out of state instead and landed at Clemson.
Saturday, though, became a rough return to the state capitol of Texas. Klubnik endured three sacks against the Longhorns. Texas picked him off once. The 6-foot-2 QB, though, racked up 336 yards and fired three touchdowns.
He even spearheaded a late Tigers rally. Klubnik hit Jarvis Green for a 25-yard touchdown to slice the lead at 31-17. He later found T.J. Moore on a seven-yarder to turn the deficit to seven early in the fourth quarter. Jaydon Blue ended any hope of a Clemson tie off his long 77-yard scamper.
If Klubnik leaves for the draft, his final CFB game occurred in his home city. But if he returns to the Tigers, he's got the chance to become the first Clemson QB to win back-to-back ACC titles since Trevor Lawrence from 2018 to 2019.
