Cade Klubnik praises Arch Manning, Ty Simpson, others for loyalty
Published:
Cade Klubnik said recently that he has “so much more respect” for players who show loyalty to their respective programs.
With the fluidity of the transfer portal and the, shall we say, prevalence of NIL inducements, players spending their entire career with one school are becoming a smaller and smaller percentage of the college football player pool. In an interview with On3’s Pete Nakos, Klubnik said homegrown players are still the cream of the crop in the sport.
“I’ve got so much respect for the guys who are staying loyal,” Klubnik 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 belongs in the same category, to be clear, though he didn’t have to wait for his shot as long as some of the SEC’s up-and-comers. He committed to Clemson in March 2021, signed in December 2021, and enrolled a month after that. No drama. He opened his freshman season as a backup and didn’t make his first start until the Tigers’ 2022 bowl game.
Following his freshman season, Clemson replaced its offensive coordinator. All throughout the journey, Klubnik was unwavering in his commitment to the Tigers. Now entering his third season as the team’s starting quarterback, he is viewed as one of the best passers in the country.
“I committed to play for coach [Dabo] Swinney and Clemson, and I knew that I needed to get better,” Klubnik told On3. “And what better staff and group of people would I want to be around, rather than coach Swinney and coach Riley and everything that we have there? Put my nose to the dirt and just try to go to work every single day and be my best self.”
Manning, Nussmeier, and Simpson are all in that same conversation. Manning will take over the starting job at Texas for Steve Sarkisian, replacing Quinn Ewers after the latter led consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal appearances. Nussmeier replaced Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels at LSU last season and the Tigers followed up a 10-win season with a 9-win season. Simpson is widely expected to win a hotly contested quarterback competition at Alabama after signing as a 5-star and sitting the bench for 3 years.
Manning is going into his third season. Nussmeier waited until his fourth year at LSU to finally get the starting job.
“At the end of the day, quarterback is a developmental game, and your relationship with your offensive coordinator is probably the most important relationship in football,” Klubnik told On3. “I took a step between two years ago and last year, and I’m trying to take another step this year.”
If Nussmeier takes a step, the league’s leading returning passer will be a terror for opposing secondaries. If Manning is as good as advertised, Texas will remain alongside the sport’s title contenders. If Simpson can show the wait was worth it, Alabama should head back to the CFP.
With the modern game littered with quarterbacks who swapped zip codes at one time or another, some of the sport’s best passers in 2025 might end up being guys who waited their turn.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
