Remember me
New York Jets rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik remains confident about his abilities despite a poor final season at Clemson that saw his draft stock fall from a potential first round pick to the fourth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
"In my mind, I'm a winner," he said at the Jets' rookie minicamp on Saturday. "I don't mean that in a boastful way. I think that's the mentality you have to have as a quarterback, and I think that my résumé has kind of showed that as well."
Klubnik burst onto the scene at Clemson as a highly-touted prospect and pushed out former No. 1 recruit DJ Uiagalelei en route to winning two ACC titles with the Tigers. He fell off in a major way, though, in his final season at Clemson as the Tigers struggled to a 7-6 record.
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Klubnik threw just 16 touchdowns passes in 2025 after throwing for 36 the season prior, but admitted he battled injuries in his final collegiate season.
"[I] battled two major injuries throughout the year," he said. "Sitting there at 3-5, with all of our dreams and goals out the window, we kind of had to look in the mirror and look to my teammates and say, 'This is bigger than us. This is going to be special, though.'"
The former Texas high school star revealed he struggled through an ankle injury that saw him "pretty much limping into every game."
Now healthy, he'll attempt to challenge Brady Cook for the backup quarterback role or potentially even Geno Smith for the starting role.
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