On Saturday – Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft – Clemson’s Cade Klubnik was the fifth quarterback taken off the board in this year’s draft.
The New York Jets took Klubnik in the fourth round with the 110th pick overall pick – the 10th pick of Round 4.
“The process was awesome,” Klubnik told the media after he was selected, regarding what the last few days have been like, waiting to find out where he would go in the draft.
“It was fun. It was a great time. But excited to go be a Jet. Pumped and really thankful for this opportunity. It’s been a few days, for sure, but I’m excited to go to work.”
Klubnik was considered a potential first-round pick during his career at Clemson, especially in the offseason prior to his senior campaign last year. Though his senior season in 2025 did not go as planned, he still finished his time in Tigertown with one of the more productive careers in Clemson history, and the Jets landed a signal-caller with lots of talent.
Not only did the Jets get him, but they traded up to get him, dealing away two fourth-round picks (Nos. 128 and 140) to the Cincinnati Bengals in order to move up 18 spots and grab Klubnik.
“It means a lot,” Klubnik said of the trade-up. “It means a lot. I don’t really know what else to say – it means a lot to me. It shows their interest in me, and I was really hoping for this. I kind of woke up this morning thinking, ‘I hope the Jets pick me.’ I had a feeling that they were going to pick me, at least.”
Klubnik – a two-time ACC Champion at Clemson, who won the game’s MVP Award in both championship games, while also leading the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff in 2024 – says he had multiple meetings with the Jets ahead of the draft.
“I had multiple meetings with them and had a workout with them,” Klubnik said. “But I feel like I always clicked really well with their staff. I really enjoyed [Head] Coach [Aaron] Glenn and [Offensive Coordinator Frank] Reich and [Quarterbacks] Coach [Bill] Musgrave, and really excited to go to work with them.”
A former five-star prospect from Austin, Texas, Klubnik exited Clemson as the school-record-holder in pass completions (916) and pass attempts (1,432), third in passing yards (10,123), fourth in passing touchdowns (73), total touchdown responsibility (90) and total offense (11,001). He also joined Rodney Williams (44), Tajh Boyd (40), Nealon Greene (40) and Charlie Whitehurst (40) as the fifth quarterback in Clemson history to start at least 40 career games at quarterback. Klubnik posted a 26-14 record as a starter, concluding his career fifth in wins by a starting quarterback in school history.
Klubnik is chomping at the bit for training camp with the Jets and can’t wait to join the quarterback competition with the others in the team’s QB room – Geno Smith, Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe.
“I’m excited. I’m excited,” Klubnik said. “I’m a competitor, and I love making people around me better, too, though. So, I’m excited to get in that room and go to work.
“I already told Coach Reich, send me the playbook tonight. So, excited to go to work and excited to go show everybody who Cade Klubnik is, and I think my best ball is ahead of me.”