Manning Passing Academy pays dividends for Cade Klubnik

Cade Klubnik says getting to hang around the Mannings was like a cheat code and beneficial for his career moving forward.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Monday, July 22 2024

WALHALLA, South Carolina – Cade Klubnik loved everything about his time spent at the Manning Passing Academy, from learning from two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history to learning more about the game he loves. But the best part was the “real talk” with his peers about the struggles of being a starting quarterback at a high-profile school.

Klubnik spent the last week of June as a counselor at the academy, which Peyton, Eli, Cooper and Archie Manning run. The camp, held in Thibodeaux, Louisiana, is designed to help high school quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends learn the fundamentals of their positions and grasp basic offensive and defensive strategies.

Klubnik made the most of his opportunity, connecting with other quarterbacks who understand what he faces daily.

“It was really cool. It was one of the most fun things I've done, just kind of getting to be around 40 of the starting quarterbacks in college football,” Klubnik told TigerNet. “There was everybody there, and it would be easier to name the guys that weren't there, honestly...but I got to hang out with Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Will Howard (Ohio State), and Riley Leonard (Notre Dame).

“And it was really fun just kind of hanging out with guys that have been in the fire and truly know what you're going through. We were up at 1 AM just talking and talking about the things that we have to deal with as starting quarterbacks and it was good. It was just really good conversations. It was real talk, and I loved that.”

Learning from the Mannings was a bonus.

“Being around the Mannings, it’s like a cheat code,” Klubnik said. “Getting to learn some things from them that I would just never think about. None of us had even thought about. And those are two of the greatest quarterbacks and football ever. And just to hear from them and little things, just the way they see the game. It was awesome.

“They gave us some pointers on preparing for the season, just the way to watch film and stuff. That's been good. There is also play-action stuff, which Peyton is really good at, and I have to learn that. Especially the under-center stuff. That was really good. I learned some little things that I really never thought about just because I haven’t done it a ton. Just basic stuff, like little things on how to read the defensive keys, which is cool.”

After listening to some of the other quarterbacks, Klubnik also learned there’s no place like home.

“It was honestly crazy to hear some of the ways that other programs run things and just some stories from those guys,” he said. “I heard of some other programs, big name schools, and just the way their coaches are and the way the programs are run. I'm like, there's times where I'm happy I'm not there. You know what I mean? I'm thankful for being at Clemson and Coach (Dabo) Swinney and the amazing staff we have.

“It's a good reminder of how awesome Clemson is.”