Clemson Star Quarterback Candidly Opens Up on Retirement of Influential Mentor

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik had jokes when discussing the recent retirement of his mentor.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik talks with media at the Smart Family Media Center in Clemson, S.C., Tuesday, August 13, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Many people have helped Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik get to where he is today. One of them retired recently.

Long-time NFL quarterback Nick Foles announced his retirement last week. He retired with a Super Bowl ring, which he won with the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. He was named the MVP of that game as the Eagles beat the New England Patriots.

That was the high point of a long career that saw him play for the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Chicago and Indianapolis. He far exceeded the expectations for him after he was taken as a third-round pick out of Arizona.

He only threw for more than 14,000 yards in his career but he shares two unique records — seven touchdown passes in a game and 25 consecutive pass completions. He also holds the record for career playoff completion percentage (68.1%).

Foles also has something in common with Klubnik — high school. Foles and Klubnik went to the same one, Westlake in Austin, Texas, one of the state’s football powers. At Westlake, Foles broke records that were set by an NFL legend, Drew Brees.

Klubnik passed for 7,426 yards with 86 touchdowns and seven interceptions and won three state championships for Westlake.

The Clemson star considers Foles a mentor and he was asked by the Greenville News on Tuesday his thoughts on Foles’ retirement.

Turns out he had a joke.

“I thought he retired a few years ago, to be honest,” he said. Foles hadn’t played since 2022.

But he talked eloquently about Foles’ impact on his career.

“Nick’s awesome,” he said. “One of the best dudes I know just in term of being a dude. He helped me through the whole high school recruiting process. … I called him a couple of weeks ago just to say, ‘Hey, do you have any tips on how to use a headset?’

“When you have a guy like that who has played my position at the highest level you can play, and win on the biggest stage in the world, I’m really thankful to have a mentor like that.”

Klubnik, the former Texas Gatorade Player of the Year enters 2024 as the starter for the second straight season. For his Tigers career he has thrown for 3,541 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while also rushing for 231 yards and six touchdowns. He was the No. 1 quarterback in the nation as part of Clemson’s Class of 2022.

He is NFL Draft-eligible after this season.