How Klubnik learned to attack adversity head on

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik explains why it was important to be part of one program during his collegiate career, attacking adversity "head on" in his final year, and why he's more prepared as a result.

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Connor Rogers here at the NFL Combine as we continue our interviews alongside Joshua Perry, and Clemson quarterback, Cade Klubnick.

Man, we've been saying you've had a longer process, 'cause you started this at the Shrine Bowl.

How's this been going for you?

Oh, it's been great.

Truly, just a dream come true, you know, just being able to be a part of this process and being invited to the NFL Combine, is definitely a huge blessing, and, you know, it, it's been really exciting and really fun.

Yeah.

Well, I think one of the big benefits of, of being at the All-Star Games, is you get feedback from the organizations.

So when you left there, what were some things that they, they told you that they liked, and some things they wanted you to work on?

Yeah, I think, I think there's, there's a few things.

I think some stuff that they definitely loved was just my ability to make plays.

Mm-hmm.

you know, when- maybe when the play breaks down, but also my ability just to really put drives together, and be big in big-time games.

but I think some things that I, I wanna continue to work on is just dialing in my footwork, especially just at the next level- Mm-hmm as, as that does change.

so dialing it in, you know, from under center stuff, and just really being efficient, at any point, to be able to throw the football.

We're kind of in a weird era of college football, especially for quarterbacks, where so many guys are bouncing around, looking for a place to play, and looking for the right fit.

You got to be at one place and play a lot of football.

Yeah.

How important is that for that position, to get all of those reps over the course of different seasons?

I think it's really important.

You know, I think it's really important for me, especially to be a part of an actual program.

Mm-hmm.

It's, it's not about me, you know?

It's about the team, and it's about everybody around me, and that's what I lean on.

I lean on the guys that I'm around every single day.

and that's what pushed me to be better every single day.

You know, there's times where, where days were hard, and days were long, but man, I, I get to look around the room, and I was around the guys for three or four years, and I get to go lean on those people.

and I definitely had opportunities to leave, but I wanted to stick there, because I knew that that was the place God had me.

so to be able to be To be able to be a part of a program like that, that I'm forever tied to, is, is awesome.

I think that perspective is huge, and I think through that, you also experienced all the highs and all the lows, and you made it to College Football Playoff, and then you had a year last year with high expectations that fell short.

What did you learn from those experiences?

Learned a ton.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I learned a ton, man.

my, my college journey was unbelievable, and I'm so thankful for it.

I'm thankful for the highs and the lows.

Yeah.

to be able to, you know, go to Austin, Texas, and, and play Texas in, in the, in the city that I grew up in, and, and probably play one of the best games of my career, two ACC championships.

and then have a year like last year, where, where our expectations were so high, and, the expectations we had for ourselves were higher than anybody else's.

Oh, yeah.

and to, to maybe not live up to those quite, because of the lot of little things that maybe would've, would've went wrong, and, a lot of injuries that we had along the way.

Mm-hmm.

but man, I'm so thankful for this past year, because I learned how to truly attack adversity head-on, and, and how to truly face it, and own it, and kind of punch it in the face, and, and finish with four straight wins at the end of the year, and beating Carolina at Carolina at the end of the year.

Like, I've I feel like I've, I've really learned a lot from this past year, and really thankful for it.

The adversity, it's something that it's gonna happen to everybody in the NFL.

Yeah, it does.

So that's why it sounds crazy, but I know scouts that are like, "I love it for guys in college- Absolutely because I know how they are gonna respond.

I don't wanna learn on the fly in the NFL."

It's hard to work when things aren't going well, and you're used to them going well.

All the time.

Right?

But you figure out the guys that wanna work, right?

Right.

Like this one, yeah.

Yeah, so when teams talk to you, is that something they kind of tap into?

Because- Yeah like, it sounds crazy, but sometimes they really like that, 'cause they learn more about you.

Yeah, absolutely, and, and it's something that I'm really proud of, in the way that I did respond, you know, with, with a grade three high ankle sprain, major quad contusion on the other leg.

I'm taking the elevator up to meetings every day, 'cause I can't walk up the stairs for a month.

being able to, to do that, and persevere, and really play my best ball, even through that, and I'm just suiting up on Saturdays.

and we're one and three, three and five, with all of our aspirations out the window, like, that's what I'm really proud of.

Yeah.

You know, I feel more prepared, than I would've been if, if we were 15 and 0, so.

You mentioned your play-making, and we've seen it, right?

Your ability to get yards through the run game, your ability to extend plays.

How are you communicating that to NFL teams, how, you know, your style of play?

I think just telling them.

Yeah.

I think telling them, and I, and I think hopefully they've, they've seen it too.

just seen my accuracy and my ability to make plays with, with my legs when I need to.

Maybe not quite as much this past year, just 'cause- Right the injuries I was dealing with, but just throughout my career, and, but my ability to just bring a team together and, and persevere through anything, that's something that I'm really proud of.

And, being able to make plays with my legs, make plays with my arm, that I think I've never really called myself a dual threat, 'cause I think when If I'm getting outside the pocket, I'm looking to throw first.

For sure.

but yeah, and then just I feel like my accuracy is something that I definitely lean on.

Something that Joshua and I have loved asking guys this week is, what was your preparation like the day after a game throughout the week?

Oh.

'Cause it- everyone's story's different, right?

Yeah.

The cor- How much time you got?

The corners we're chilling.

Yeah, we, we'd love to hear.

Yeah, yeah.

The corners are like, "I need 100 cut-ups of this."

Yeah.

And the wide receivers are like, "Well, I need to look at what technique this corner's playing."

But the quarterback, man- Yeah it feels like you're in an era where you basically prepare like a professional quarterback- Yeah when you're already in college.

Yeah, I feel like I've really dialed it in, my routine, from a Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. to a Saturday night.

by the end of my junior year, I feel like I really dialed that in, and, and by the end of my junior year, I got out, like, you know, the sheets, and I pretty much made my schedule, into 30-minute blocks for the whole week, and I really that- dialed that in my senior year, and, and lived by that.

and it's, you know, Sunday, go to church, go to lunch, come back.

I'm getting, meeting with the doctors, treatment for about three hours, and then I'm going back to watch the game that night.

and- get treatment from like one to four, and then from like four to five thirty I'm wa- re-watching the game.

five thirty to eight, I'm, I'm now going to meet with Coach Riley and Taj Boyd, I'm going to ask them, "Hey, give me a little sneak peek.

What are the top things about the team that we're about to play?"

So once I kinda watch the first game, I'm kinda flushing it, right?

Mm-hmm.

I'm, I'm moving on to the next.

So go get a sneak peek, "Hey, mate, what are the top thir- two or three games that I should watch for that team?"

and then that night till about seven or eight, I'm going to watch, the last two or three games from that team that we're about to play, just to kinda get a feel for it.

so Sunday I'm normally there from about one to eight.

and then Monday morning, we have a lift, maybe class, not as much as past year.

and then Monday I start formation cut-ups, big play cut-ups, and top blitzes.

that normally takes about three to four hours.

Mm-hmm.

getting a feel for really who they are formationally, scheme coverage.

I wanna know who their top guys are on the blitz.

and then big shots, where are their weaknesses?

What, what are they, you know, weak to and, I'm kinda losing the word, but, uh- Vulnerable.

Yeah, vulnerable to.

Yeah.

Exactly, that's the word I was looking for.

What are they vulnerable to?

How can I really attack them and, and be able to pick them apart?

And that's something that, that me and Coach Riley and Taj would definitely look at.

and how- what are things that we can really take advantage of from their defense?

and yeah, so I'd spend that, probably two or three hours in the day, doing treatment as well.

we'd go to And then I'd sit in the offensive install meetings with the staff.

and then we have team meeting, player, player meetings, so like just coach and, and us, practice, and then I'd go back after practice on a Monday and go back and watch practice with the coaches, and really sit and watch.

'Cause whenever they make changes and stuff, I don't really just wanna show up to the pl- the players' meeting- Right they'd be like, "All right, we're gonna do this."

Like, I wanna know why.

Sure.

You know, why are we changing that Hey, he's gonna stutter at the top here, and maybe instead of, you know, flatten it off right away, or maybe we wanna go the, you know, the three tech right here, whatever it is.

I wanna know the reason why behind that, and that was really something I started doing in my last two years.

I could go through Tuesday through Friday as well.

But that's kind of a sneak peek- No, it's great to my Sunday, Monday- It's fantastic.

Yeah, yeah to what that really looks like.

And that's obviously gonna change to the next level as well.

and I'll have to learn from that, and, and learn from some mentors to try to figure out the best way to, to build that routine again, and kinda have to break it down and put it back together.

but it's exciting.

No, that's phenomenal.

last one from me, but Clemson's a place that's had a lot of pros and a lot of great pros.

Are there any guys that you've reached out to through this process for advice?

yeah, I think, you know, I've, I've, I've gotten to know Deshaun and, and Trevor over the years, and, they're both incredible people- and, and incredible players as well.

I'd say one of the people that I've leaned on most, over kinda my time in college and also, just even starting this journey over the last few months is, been Nick Foles.

He went to my high school.

and we actually live in like fifteen minutes from each other out in California.

Nice.

So being able to just kinda lean on him and, and ask him these questions.

I remember, like, the first week I was out here, me and one of the guys we're training with, we got lunch with him for like an hour and a half.

And, just being able to lean on him and, and just kinda ask him questions, and, it's been great, and I know that I can really reach out at any point.

The last thing, and I don't know when you'd carve out even thirty minutes for this, what do you do away from football?

End of season, not a whole lot.

maybe sneak a movie in on a Sunday night or a Thursday night when we finish early.

in the off seasons, love to get on the links, play some golf.

you know, get on the water, love, love being on the water, on the boat, wake surf, and fishing, whatever it is.

Yeah.

Awesome.

Cade Clubnik, man, it's been great talking to you.

Yeah.

We really appreciate the time, and we can't wait to see where you end up with the NFL.

Thank you.

Appreciate you guys having me.

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