Clemson's Cade Klubnik ditches DJ Lagway while naming 4 big shot QBs in college football

Cade Klubnik is coming into the 2025 season as one of the top quarterbacks. The Clemson Tigers QB has led the team for the last two seasons and gave them an ACC Championship and College Football Playoff appearance last season.

On Wednesday, Klubnik was asked by On3 to name who he thinks are some of the best quarterbacks currently in college football. Florida's DJ Lagway didn't get the nod in Klubnik's list.

“I’ve got so much respect for the guys who are staying loyal," he said. "Guys like Arch [Manning], Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar and Ty Simpson. Those are the guys that come to mind. The guys that believe in the program and believe in the culture that they’re at. Just chase to get better every single year.

"There’s a reason that those are four of the best quarterbacks in college football right now. Guys that have stayed loyal, that have put their noses to the dirt and just went to work, and those are the guys that I respect so much."

Klubnik prefers quarterbacks who are loyal to their programs, as he believes that staying at a top program for four to five years is the recipe to success.

Nussmeier took over the LSU role last season and has already cemented himself as a favorite for the Heisman Trophy this year. As for Manning, he could have easily transferred out of Texas last season and would have immediately been the starting quarterback on any program. But he remained the backup to Quinn Ewers, allowing him to develop on the same roster.

This could be the foundation for what many believe could be a strong year for Manning and the Longhorns as he becomes the starting quarterback this season.

Cade Klubnik 2026 NFL Draft prediction

This will be Cade Klubnik's final season with Clemson and is likely to enter the 2026 NFL draft. But, before the season starts, let's have a look at where he may go in said draft.

NFL Draft Buzz ranks him the eighth-best player available and the third-best quarterback. It should be noted that the site does place Arch Manning in this draft class, but there is a strong chance that Manning will stay an extra year at Texas. This makes Klubnik the second-best QB available.

While we do not know which NFL teams will need a QB coming into the 2026 season, one could predict that Klubnik will be a top 10 pick. A good season from him and he could even be the number one pick.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Krutik Jain