CLEMSON — Cade Klubnik’s final season at Clemson might have been his toughest.

After being relatively healthy over his first three seasons with the program, Klubnik has dealt with multiple injuries during his senior campaign.

“I have had a really healthy career that I am really thankful for,” Klubnik said. “I am very, very thankful for that. I really didn’t have anything my freshman or sophomore or years. Minor things that I was still able to fight through and play through.”

Klubnik first suffered a high-ankle sprain late in the blowout win at Boston College, an injury that would keep him out of action the following week against SMU. A game the Tigers would lose with backup Chris Vizzina making his first career start.

Klubnik would return the following week in the last-minute loss to Duke, but he was still nowhere close to being fully healthy. Since that original ankle injury, the senior quarterback has also dealt with a nagging quad injury, both of which impacted his mobility down the stretch. Then he injured the thumb on his throwing hand in the win over the rival Gamecocks. Three weeks later, Klubnik is still sporting some tape on that thumb during practice.

“Obviously, had more painful injuries this year,” Klubnik added. “Being able to still fight through them, it is tough. It is not something I ever really talked about throughout the season. I remember my pop-warner coach say to never let them see you hurt. That is kind of my mentality with this. Just chew it and keep going for my guys. Do what you can to be able to go play.”

Through it all, Klubnik has continued to battle, while downplaying the injuries in public. With Clemson set to do battle against Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 27, the senior will do exactly what he’s been doing for weeks now. Push through the best he can and try to help his team finish the season on a high note.

“I don’t think a lot of people know what I have been through and how a lot of guys on our team have fought through this year and fought through injury themselves,” Klubnik said. “We have a job to go do, and at the end of the day, nobody really cares how your body is feeling or what your mental state is. You got a job to do, and you just got to fight through it and go get it done. That is just kind of the job that it is.”