Clemson Tigers star Cade Klubnik has earned a comparison to an MVP-caliber player on the NFL level.
Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik definitely did not have the 2025 campaign he initially had anticipated.
Klubnik entered his final collegiate season with No. 1 pick aspirations (as well as national championship expectations), but ended up falling flat, failing to even throw for 3,000 yards while managing just 16 touchdown passes and 94 rushing yards.
That followed a marvelous 2024 showing in which he racked up 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns through the air as well as 463 yards ands and seven scores on the ground.
Klubnik's draft stock plummeted as a result of his 2025 decline, and he ended up landing with the New York Jets at No. 110 in the fourth round.
The Jets traded up 18 spots to nab him, so clearly, they had a pretty strong affinity for him. At least as a Day 3 dart throw.
But will Klubnik actually have a chance to become a franchise quarterback for New York?
Cade Klubnik. Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.Well, ESPN's Matt Miller has actually offered an MVP-level comparison for Klubnik, likening him to San Francisco 49ers star Brock Purdy.
"There is a track record of taking highly experienced college players and letting them play," Miller said. "You hate to make the Purdy comparison because it's so overused at this point, but if there's going to be a Purdy in this year's class, it's going to be Klubnik because of the experience, the athletic ability, the arm and the situation."
Purdy of course was selected by the 49ers with the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. He became a full-time starter as soon as his second season and proceeded to finish fourth in MVP voting that year, leading San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance.
Had it not been for some late-game heroics from Patrick Mahomes, Purdy would already have some hardware.
The comparison is also pretty apt.
Purdy is not elite in any one particular area, but he is very well-rounded and has a terrific feel for the game. He is also a high-character individual and his teammates love him, which could also be said for Klubnik.
If Klubnik turns into Purdy, the Jets are going to be pretty happy.
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