Clemson’s Cade Klubnik Slips in The Athletic’s 2026 QB Rankings

The five quarterbacks Brugler ranked ahead of Klubnik are Penn State’s Drew Allar, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, and the previously mentioned Arch Manning.

“Klubnik has too many moments of panic, in and out of the pocket.”

Brugler points to Klubnik’s struggles against pressure as the primary reason for his concern, saying, “[he] has too many moments of panic, in and out of the pocket.”

While their work isn’t necessarily the perfect indicator of what’s happening on the field, Pro Football Focus’ data tells a different story from Brugler's. In 2024, PFF found that Klubnik was pressured on 30% of his dropbacks, the eighth-highest rate among eligible quarterbacks. This means he had plenty of chances to showcase his ability to make plays with rushers in his face. The numbers certainly don’t suggest he struggles in these situations either: he had the 32nd-lowest pressure-to-sack ratio among over 160 eligible quarterbacks, had a 9.1% big-time throw rate when pressured, which ranked fourth, and a 2.8% turnover-worthy play rate under pressure, which ranked 25th.

These numbers aren't particularly astonishing, but PFF's grade for Klubnik under pressure is. He scored an overall grade of 80.9, the highest mark by a wide margin — more than five points above the next closest quarterback. His passing grade was 77.8, again the top mark by a significant amount. He also wasn't a slouch when it came to running in those situations, with a rushing grade of 71.1, which ranked 14th.

Ultimately, though, Brugler might be noticing things on tape that PFF statistics miss, such as a breakdown in his mechanics under pressure that he’s currently getting away with but might not at the next level.

The highlight reel from Cory Kinnan below isn’t contradictory to that possibility, but it showcases two perfect examples of how Klubnik can perform at a high level with rushers in his grill: he stands tall against a Texas Longhorns defensive front that saw three defensive linemen taken in this year’s NFL draft, and drops two throws in the bucket for huge gains.

Once again, Brugler might be noticing something that the statistics overlook. However, if the numbers are any guide, Klubnik seems to perform better under pressure than he's being credited for. If he can maintain his upward trajectory and avoid those panic moments, don’t be surprised to see him help lead a stacked Clemson roster on a deep playoff run.