The 2025 NFL draft is nearly over. Teams have made their picks, and the players have finally been told which colors to put on. So, if anything we have learned from this draft class was to prepare for the unexpected, especially the QBs. Shedeur Sanders, who just got drafted in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns, might be reminiscing about what more he could have done. Similarly, other QBs like Jalen Milroe might be having similar thoughts. Now, amidst all these QBs, one more name could have been of the Clemson playmaker Cade Klubnik, but the guy decided to give college football one more year.

Klubnik led his team to the ACC championship and helped them lift the trophy with his performance. The game was crucial for the QB as he passed for 262 yards for 4 touchdowns. It ended in a thriller that concluded 34-31. Still, Klubnik had some glaring issues with pressures and accuracy, although he won the MVP. The QB completed just 24 passes out of the 41 he threw and ended with a QB rating of 68.2 in that game. Needless to say, it was a performance that the team needed, but there was still room for improvement.

In total, the QB passed for 3,639 yards at an average of 7.5 yards per throw, producing an efficiency of 63.4%. The season showcased that Klubnik still has some issues in his game that he needs to rectify. That may well be the reason why he didn’t register for the NFL draft even though he was eligible. But now a bigger challenge begins for him. The 2026 NFL draft is going to be brimming with QB talent, with players like the young prodigy Arch Manning, Miami’s Carson Beck, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and Penn State’s Drew Allar.

Now with the class being so competitive, the Clemson QB needs to work even harder, and it seems he is doing everything in his might from the start of the 2025 postseason. Andy Staples, speaking on ON3’s draft show from Lambeau Field, predicted the fate of Klubnik in an optimistic verdict. ” I actually think Cade Klubnik can play his way into a pretty high draft pick. Now, I don’t know, he’s not as big as some of these other guys that we’re talking about, but he runs really well and he has developed as a quarterback over the course of his career, where you see him doing things now that he couldn’t do when he first became a starter“.

Standing at 6’2” and 210 lbs, the player certainly has improved a lot over the years in his passing efficiency and total involvement. His passing yard average also improved from 2023, where he completed just 6.3 yards per attempt as opposed to 7.5 yards in 2024. PFF already has him as the top returning QB in the 2025 QB batch. Moreover, his deep ball touch and finding receivers on separation are some of his standout traits. Add to that the QB rushed for 463 yards in 2024, which screams dual-threat talent.

Dabo Swinney braces against the transfer portal havoc

Dabo Swinney, the Clemson head coach, has roped in a 3rd ranked class in the ACC that boasts some very elite talents. There’s the 5-star DL Amare Adams, who is ranked 3rd nationally in his position, then there’s Gideon Davidson, a 4th-ranked RB prospect in the nation. Moreover, other players like OT Brayden Jacobs and RB Marquise Henderson are also some of the elite talents Swinney has roped in. But what good are these talents if they jump into the transfer portal when opportunity arises?

Dabo Swinney, in a recent statement, acknowledged the role of NIL and the transfer portal, but instead of complaining, batted to be prepared for any calamity. “It’s like I told our staff. We’re entering a really chaotic time. But the more chaos out there, the better it is for us because we’re built for it. We’ve been to the playoffs seven of the last 10 years and won eight of the last 10 ACC championships. The only narrative I care about is staying with our purpose of graduating our players and what the facts are, winning games, and that’s not going to change regardless of what happens around us.”

In this transfer window, several players opted to switch camps from Clemson and entered the transfer portal. Safety Caleb Nix, who decided to enter on 16th April, is yet to find a team, and Tavoy Feagin (CB) went to Ole Miss. Prior to that, we also saw players like Troy Stellato moving to Kentucky and Tre Williams going to Michigan. Not many key players left Clemson’s camp, still, Dabo Swinney’s warning is apt: be prepared or get swept by the NIL wave.