Rams Summer Scouting: Clemson's Cade Klubnik is Flashy and Volatile

Klubnik's game against Pittsburgh showed a lot of the good and bad of his play. He's a gunslinger, though he may not have an elite arm. His lightning-quick releases and velocity on his throws allow him to drive the ball into tight windows and to his target quickly.

I want to show two plays that exhibit Klubnik's overall ability as a passer. This is a dynamic player who can generate big plays with his legs and while he may not be a Lamar Jackson-type of athlete, he is still athletic enough to create plays with his arm and legs.

In the first clip below, Klubnik attacks this Cover 4 look that transitions into Cover 1 Robber with a nice side-step and laser down the seam to true freshman standout Bryant Wesco. This is excellent touch and accuracy from Klubnik, which he continued to flash late in the season.

In the second clip, the Tigers call a QB draw on 3rd & 4 with just over a minute left in the game. Klubnik takes off and showcases plenty of shiftiness as a runner to break the pursuit angle of the safety before taking advantage of a block by Moore to spring loose for the go-head, game-winning touchdown to beat Pittsburgh.

There's so much to like with Klubnik as a passer: he has a great arm to throw with the trajectory and velocity to hit all three levels of the field while flashing the ability to be an accurate three-level passer; he's a smooth operator of the offense, playing deliberate in his drops while displaying adequate re-positioning and quick releases combinations from a multitude of arm angles; and he has a great and impressive understanding of how to attack defensive leverages while playing under control with subtle movements to get defenders off-balance.

His best game last season was his last against the Texas Longhorns in the first round of the playoffs. Klubnik is a quarterback who is only getting better with each game and the arrow is pointed upward for his ceiling. He made great throws with a display of great flexibility to make accurate throws moving to his left from different angles while flashing touch and downfield accuracy.

Where He Falls

Having watched Klubnik for the last two seasons, it is clear he has shown terrific improvement. Even now, he has room to grow and there are some current shortcomings he must overcome in 2025.

First of all, his ball security must continue to improve. There was much of it last season but his 18 career interceptions and several fumbles lead to some concern about his volatility as a passer that his gunslinging-style of play invites. This time of play creates risk and more turnovers to follow if unchecked this season.

There are times when Klubnik will drop his eyes during progressions when the pocket gets murky and his decision-making showed improvement last season but must continue to move in that direction. His mechanics can fail him at times and he can be overeager as a passer by not taking what is in front of him and instead going for the big play, a fair and consistent issues for young quarterbacks.

What is Next for Klubnik?

Cade Klubnik plays with a gunslinger mentality that makes him volatile as a passer. However, there is some good with this style of Klubnik, featuring good drives of the ball via velocity and torque while offering the flashes of being a high-level touch passer to all three levels of the field.

Klubnik is a dynamic quarterback with great mobility and legitimate speed to win footraces; plus, he offers the off-platform, out-of-structure ability, and flexibility to be a scheme-diverse passer in the NFL. However, he must continue improving his ball security, taking what is in front of him, and clean up some of his misalignments in the upper and lower-half of his rotation, something that is correctable with more coaching.