This ESPN radio host is certainly on board with — and a believer in — former Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik ahead of his rookie NFL season.
On his radio show, ESPN New York’s Chris Carlin gave his take on Klubnik, who was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of April’s NFL Draft.
Carlin stated that some individuals inside the Jets organization believe Klubnik will eventually take over the starting quarterback job from Geno Smith, with Carlin reporting that certain people within the team’s building believe Klubnik will become the starter by midseason.
“The best thing that can happen for Geno Smith this season is that Cade Klubnik continues to push him,” Carlin said. “There are people in the Jets building that 100% believe that by the middle of the year, Cade Klubnik is going to be the starter for the Jets. …
“As much as you wanna just treat Klubnik as any other fourth-round quarterback, I would pay a little bit more attention to him than that. I have been on the Cade brigade, or leading the Cade brigade, if you will, for a few weeks now – not for him to start Week 1. I am not foolhardy enough to believe that will ever happen.”
Though Smith’s status as the Week 1 starter is locked in, Klubnik has put together a strong preseason performance, positioning himself as the frontrunner for the primary backup role behind Smith.
As for a potential QB1 switch during the 2026 season, Carlin says it would happen not because the season has fallen apart and the team is just seeing what it has in a young player like Klubnik.
Carlin believes it will eventually happen because Klubnik legitimately gives the Jets a better chance to win games than Smith.
“I am not the guy who is going to scream at you that ‘He should start Week 1! Let’s see what the kid’s got!’ No, absolutely not,” Carlin said of Klubnik. “I am the guy that will tell you that at some point during the course of this season, Klubnik will start.”
“But he won’t start because the Jets’ season is over, and they just need to see what they have,” Carlin added. “He will start because at some point this season, he will be the better chance to win games, than anything else – certainly than Geno. And you might say that’s a little bit crazy to say. I don’t think it is.”
Klubnik made his NFL preseason debut on Aug. 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Klubnik got the starting assignment in place of Smith, who sat out the preseason opener due to foot soreness, and Klubnik showed well with the first-team offense.
He went 5-of-7 passing for 56 yards and did not throw an interception or a touchdown, though he made some nice passes while leading the Jets to a field goal on their opening drive. He played two series, with the Jets scoring 10 total points, as the second drive ended in a rushing touchdown by Braelon Allen.
Klubnik followed up his preseason debut by playing five series in Week 2 of the preseason vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Aug. 21. While he didn’t lead any scoring drives, he went 10-of-14 for 75 yards and added a 16-yard run.
Once considered a potential first-round pick, Klubnik’s draft stock suffered with a disappointing senior season in 2025, and he didn’t come off the board until Day 3 of this year’s NFL Draft. That’s when the Jets 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 him in the fourth round with the No. 110 overall pick.
Klubnik spent four years at Clemson from 2022-25, including the last three years as the full-time starting signal caller. During his career, the two-time ACC Championship Game MVP threw for 10,123 yards with 73 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over 49 games (40 starts), while also rushing for 878 yards and 17 touchdowns on 369 rushing attempts.