Longtime sports personality Skip Bayless sees potential and upside in former Clemson star and current New York Jets rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Bayless gave an NFL player comp for Klubnik, who was selected by the Jets in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft.

Bayless likened Klubnik to Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix.

“I see a little Bo Nix in him,” Bayless said on The Arena: Gridiron show. “They’re cut from the same cloth to me. Just a little bit. … They’re both 6-2. Bo’s a little stouter, a little thicker maybe, because he’s 217 to Cade’s 207, so it’s 10 pounds of thickness, maybe maturity. But listen, Cade Klubnik throws it pretty well. I would say his arm is above average. I’m not going to say it’s Justin Herbert, but it always looked pretty good to me. When he escaped when he was healthy going back two and three years ago, I would say, ‘OK, I see that.’”

The Jets traded up to get Klubnik, dealing away two fourth-round picks (Nos. 128 and 140) to the Cincinnati Bengals in order to move up 18 spots and grab him in the fourth round with the No. 110 overall pick.

Bayless says he likes Klubnik enough to believe he could “at worst” be the “long-term backup” in New York to current University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning, should the Jets end up tanking this season and then land Manning, who is an early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft.

“So, remember, the Jets traded up 18 spots in the fourth round to take him,” Bayless said of Klubnik. “I know it’s the fourth round, but I think it was a pretty shrewd move to just have him on the roster just to say, ‘Let’s see what we could have here.’ … It’s all set up if they can tank for Arch. He’s going to walk into a decent situation. Just decent. So, you want a Cade Klubnik as the obvious backup, and he can be like a Colt McCoy-type, where he’s a good guy and he’s not going to make waves, and you can trust him as your backup. That’s what I hope he turns into — at worst. At worst.”

Klubnik, a two-time ACC Championship Game MVP, posted a 26-14 record as a starter for the Tigers, finishing his career fifth in wins by a starting quarterback in school history.

A former five-star prospect, Klubnik came to Clemson after going 27-0 as a starter his last two years at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, while guiding the school to back-to-back state titles. Overall, he won three state titles at Westlake.

Last season, Klubnik battled various ailments including ankle and wrist injuries. After passing for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions while leading Clemson to an ACC title and appearance in the College Football Playoff during his junior season in 2024, Klubnik threw for 2,943 yards, 16 touchdowns and six picks in 2025 as both he personally and the Tigers as a team experienced a disappointing year.

Klubnik is now part of a Jets QB room that also includes Geno Smith, Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe. Klubnik will jockey for position on the depth chart behind Smith, who was named the starter by Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

Bayless hopes the Jets give Klubnik the opportunity to start some games later in his rookie season.

“I hope for Cade’s sake that he gets a shot late this coming year — three or four games when the tanking is about done where they look like they’re in position just to see what he has,” Bayless said. “Because to your point, Austin Westlake plays big league football, and he won three straight state championships. That’s Drew Brees’ high school in Austin, Texas. You gotta honor some of that. He was the No. 1 [quarterback] recruit in the country, went to Clemson, had two pretty good years. And then he did say that he battled two major injuries. So, is it an excuse? I believe he was beat up last year. … So, he couldn’t run last year, and he does run pretty well.”