While most of the attention surrounding Clemson’s 1-3 start this season is on head coach Dabo Swinney, quarterback Cade Klubnik also bears a lot of responsibility for his struggles coming off a strong 2024 campaign.
Per The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, a rival defensive coordinator specifically noted that Klubnik looks “really uncomfortable” right now.
“He looks really uncomfortable out there,” the coordinator said. “He’s late so often. He looks like a first-time starter, not a guy with as much experience as he has.”
Klubnik had a breakout 2024 with 3,639 passing yards, 463 rushing yards and accounted for 43 touchdowns (seven rushing) in 14 games to help the Tigers win the ACC title and make the College Football Playoff.
Coming into this season, Klubnik was third in Heisman odds behind Texas’ Arch Manning and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. Clemson was ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, its highest preseason ranking since 2022.
All of that optimism has quickly given way to in-depth examinations of Swinney’s buyout if Clemson wanted to make a coaching change after losing three of its first four games, including an 0-3 mark against power four opponents.
Klubnik has regressed in every metric from last season. He has thrown for 996 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions on 148 attempts in four games. His touchdown percentage has dropped more than three points (7.4 to 4.1) and his interception rate has more than doubled (1.2 percent to 2.7).
One of the biggest issues for Klubnik is the amount of pressure he’s faced. Brandon Rink of TigerNet.com, citing Pro Football Focus tracking, noted the senior quarterback has faced the third-most pressure dropbacks in FBS (61). He is completing 44.9 percent of his attempts in those situations.
This rough start is particularly bad news for Klubnik with regards to the 2026 NFL draft. He was considered a high first-round prospect coming into the season, but his stock is falling amid his own struggles and the overall issues at Clemson.
Coming off a bye this past weekend, Klubnik and the Tigers will look to get back on track Saturday when they travel to Kenan Stadium for a matchup with Bill Belichick and North Carolina.
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