Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik says he feels like a guinea pig.
With many college athletes now raking in seven-figure deals, the sport has changed. Players are no longer looked at as student-athletes and are instead seen as professionals making the kind of money the average Joe can only dream about. With that comes expectations, and they are far more amped up than they were just five short years ago.
Klubnik, a former five-star recruit, signed with Clemson as part of the 2022 recruiting class. When he was going through the process, NIL wasn’t even a thing yet.
“I think everybody really handles it differently,” Klubnik said on Wednesday. “For me, I didn’t grow up dreaming of playing college football to go make money. That wasn’t me. I grew up dreaming of playing college football to go play college football. And run out in a stadium of 100,000 fans. That’s what I dreamed of.”
When Klubnik was a freshman and serving as the backup to DJ Uiagalelei in 2022, NIL was still in its infancy. It’s not something he dealt with until he was already in college.
Once he took over as the full-time starter the following year, the expectations were already sky-high, seeing as he was ranked as the top quarterback in his class. The NIL stuff just added another layer.
“I feel like a guinea pig in this whole NIL era,” Klubnik added. “I came in the first year it was going on. I didn’t really have to deal with it during the recruiting process. I feel like every year has been different. It’s been an interesting journey.”
During that first season, Klubnik turned in one inconsistent performance after the other, as the Tigers got off to a 4-4 start before rebounding to win their final five games. Last season, Klubnik was much better, throwing for more than 3,600 yards and 36 touchdown passes while leading Clemson back to the College Football Playoff.
Seeing the progression he was on, even more was expected of Klubnik this season. With a loaded wide receiver room and a veteran-laden offensive line, some were predicting a national title run. However, this Clemson offense has looked like anything but.
The Tigers have stumbled out of the gate, dropping a home game to LSU and a road contest to Georgia Tech. Sitting at 1-2, the team’s postseason hopes have taken a severe hit.
And Klubnik has played a big part in those struggles. The senior signal caller has just as many touchdowns (4) as turnovers through the first three games, and he is completing less than 60% of his throws.
While some might point to the money he’s making as being a distraction and playing a factor in Klubnik’s less-than-stellar start, the senior quarterback doesn’t see it that way at all. In fact, he believes he’s handled that part of the game the right way.
Klubnik insists he took care of the money part after last season and has been focused on football ever since. Even if that dedication has yet to show in his play on the field.
“I feel like I have handled it really well,” Klubnik said. “Football is number one for me. Go ask anybody that. Family, agent, whatever it is. I am not messing with any of that stuff anywhere close to the season. It is part of the game now. It is not something that I necessarily asked for, it is just something that has kind of happened, so I guess I don’t feel like I should be held responsible for that, if you know what I mean?
“But it’s something that’s happened, and I think that people handle it differently. I think we’ve done a really good job of handling it here. We gotta just continue to love the game, man.”
Photo by Bart Boatwright