CLEMSON – Few people love Clemson University as much as Cade Klubnik.

“I love this place… The fans that are here and the community, everything of what it means to be here, it’s just been a dream come true,” Klubnik said after the Duke game last fall.

Klubnik’s love for Clemson is one reason why he decided to stay in Tigertown for his senior season, when he had lucrative opportunities to go elsewhere. Though his senior season did not go as planned, he still finished his career as one of the more productive careers in Clemson history.

That is why the New York Jets picked Klubnik with the 110 selection in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday. The former Clemson quarterback is the sixth former Tiger taken in the draft, joining offensive tackle Blake Miller (No. 17, first round), Peter Woods (No. 29, first round), T.J. Parker (No. 35, second round) and Avieon Terrell (No. 48, second round) and wide receiver Antonio Williams (No. 71, third round).

Klubnik was a two-time ACC Champion at Clemson, winning the game’s MVP Award in both championship games. He also led the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff in 2024.

The Clemson quarterback threw for 10,123 yards with 73 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in his 49 career games at Clemson. He started 40 games in college, which made one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the draft.

Klubnik also rushed for 878 yards and 17 touchdowns on 369 rushing attempts. He finished his career with 11,001 yards of total offense, becoming the fourth quarterback in school history to reach the 11,000-yard mark.

The Austin Texas native 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. He is also one of six Tiger quarterbacks since World War II to win at least 25 games as a starting quarterback.

His best season came in 2024, when he earned second-team All-ACC honors. He authored one of the most prolific seasons in school history, accounting for 43 combined passing and rushing touchdowns. He 308-of-486 passes for 3,639 yards with 36 passing touchdowns against only six interceptions.

Klubnik added career highs with 463 yards and seven touchdowns on 119 rushing attempts. He tied Tajh Boyd (36 in 2012) and Trevor Lawrence (36 in 2019) for the second-most passing touchdowns in a season in Clemson history. His 36 touchdown passes were the most among all quarterbacks nationally with six or fewer interceptions.

His 43 touchdowns responsible for ranked sixth in school history and were the most since Trevor Lawrence’s 45 in 2019. He recorded 4,102 yards of total offense (fourth nationally) to produce the seventh 4,000-yard season of total offense in Clemson history.

Klubnik recorded at least 200 yards of total offense in each of Clemson’s final 13 games, tying Deshaun Watson’s school record for the longest streak in school history (13 across the 2015-16 seasons). He finished the season with the third-most completions in a season in Clemson history, trailing only two seasons by Watson (388 in 2016, 333 in 2015).

The Clemson graduate ranked seventh in school history in passing yards in a single season and ranked in the Top 20 nationally in passing touchdowns (3rd), touchdowns responsible for (3rd), pass attempts (4th), completions (9th) and passing yards per game (18th, 259.9).