Some profiles scream football player. Five-star recruit. Two-time USA Today Offensive Player of the Year. U.S. Army Player of the Year. Back-to-back-to-back high school state champion. ACC Championship Game MVP. And finally, starting quarterback for ACC powerhouse Clemson University. But according to Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, football doesn’t define him. He has a bigger calling.

Cade attended Texas juggernaut Westlake High School, a school that has produced NFL legends like Drew Brees, Justin Tucker, and Nick Foles, to name a few. He was only a sophomore in high school when he joined the varsity locker room. Suddenly, everyone in town was talking about Number Two. I remember feeling the pressures from the outside, from fans, and that being a real thing for the first time, says Klubnik. The noise proved to be too loud for him. Cade’s emotions were dependent on how the game went. If I played good, then I’d have a great week. But if I didn't play good, I’d have a horrible week. Klubnik felt alone, and his entire season was a rollercoaster of emotions.

Cade needed a reset. During the off-season after his sophomore year, two mentors who were disciples of God entered his life. He focused on those friendships who leaned in when he needed them the most. His reliance on God rather than the game's outcome helped him settle his emotions. Klubnik explains, I realized when I stepped onto the field, it didn’t matter if I threw five picks or five touchdowns. I would be the same guy. Cade no longer allowed his emotions to be affected by football anymore. He could play with freedom and joy.

Then, his life took another turn. Klubnik lost one of his best friends during his junior year in high school. Klubnik says, I never met somebody that was so joyful and happy all the time. Jackson treated everyone with such kindness and compassion. I didn’t realize the impact his attitude would have on me until he passed away in a car crash a week after I committed to Clemson my junior year. My life changed after that. I wanted to live like Jackson. Unsurprisingly, Klubnik tried to find the positive in it. He told himself that God was going to do something with this. Soon after Jackson passed, I had four friends that gave their life to Jesus. Now, to keep his vow to live his life as Jackson would, he wears a bracelet inscribed Live Like Jackson.

In college, Klubnik’s number was called after the starting quarterback was benched in the ACC Championship Game. He went on to win ACC Championship MVP. Since quarterbacks are often blitzed or, worse, sacked, the key is to get back up. That’s something Klubnik knows all too well. It’s easy for him to be locked in because he feels a greater purpose.

Because of the profound impact his religion has had on him, Cade wants to share this calling with everyone. One of his favorite high school memories is when he baptized his longtime pal, Jake Leopold, in Wyoming’s Snake River. The water was freezing and shallow, just a few inches deep. Since they couldn’t submerge him in the river, they just started splashing water on him. 
It was pretty funny. But it worked, laughs Klubnik. But that’s the go-with-the-flow mentality that Cade’s adopted.

When he’s not under the bright lights, Klubnik finds solace in the quiet life like fishing. Fishing is a chance to get out in God’s creation. I always like having a bass on the line. Golfing and fishing are two of his favorite things to do during the summer. Just don’t tell Coach Dabo. It’s important for Klubnik to find the quiet moments during the off-season because he’s gearing up to be the starting quarterback at Clemson. But he’s not worried. I got to play in front of 40,000 people in high school. 80,000 people at Clemson isn’t as big of a jump.

Like he said, he’s just a guy who plays football. He’s just Cade. I think that you got a lot of people out there who see me with number two on my back and a face mask on my face, so you don't really get to see who I really am. I’m a guy that loves football and people, and hopefully a joy to be around more than anything. With his record at Westlake and his junior year at Clemson, he may not define himself by it, but he’s certainly a legend in the making.