After transferring to Clemson from Purdue ahead of the 2025 season, Will Heldt was only teammates with Cade Klubnik for one season, but the two built a strong and meaningful relationship in a relatively short amount of time.

Heldt and Klubnik played one last game together in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27, and after the Tigers’ 22-10 loss to the Nittany Lions at Yankee Stadium in New York, the star defensive end and quarterback shared a moment as they were walking off the field.

“That’s my guy,” Heldt said of Klubnik after the game. “I was just letting him know how much I love him, proud of him. That’s my roommate, so we’ve become pretty close. So, that’s my guy. Just letting him know he’s my guy.”

The Pinstripe Bowl concluded Klubnik’s senior season and college career, while Heldt will be back at Clemson for his senior campaign in 2026.

Heldt praised the leadership of Klubnik, who easily could have opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl but instead chose to play despite dealing with multiple injuries over the course of the season. He suffered an ankle sprain that forced him to miss the SMU game and also dealt with a quad injury that limited his mobility, as well as a thumb injury that he played through.

“I think he’s just an all-around leader in everything that he does,” Heldt said. “He’s consistent day in and day out. Hardest worker on the team. He works his tail off. But proud of him.”

Klubnik completed 22-of-39 passes for 193 yards vs. Penn State, including a 44-yard pass to T.J. Moore on which he both broke Tajh Boyd’s Clemson record for career pass completions (901 from 2010-13) and became the fourth player in school history to reach 10,000 career passing yards.

Klubnik experienced his ups and downs during his Clemson career, but the former five-star prospect from Texas led the Tigers to ACC titles in 2022 and 2024, earning MVP honors in both games, and helped Clemson make the College Football Playoff in 2024. He is one of only three two-time ACC Championship Game MVPs all-time.  

The Pinstripe Bowl marked the 40th and final college start for Klubnik, who finished his career with a 26-14 record as a starter. In 2025, he became the sixth Clemson quarterback since World War II to win at least 25 games as a starting quarterback.