Since landing on the Miami Hurricanes’ staff in January, offensive coordinator and QB coach Rhett Lashlee has been fond of offering QB’s from the state of Texas. His most recent went out to a 2022 quarterback prospect that he’s had a relationship with going back to his time at SMU, as Westlake (TX) 4-star QB Cade Klubnik landed a UM bid just last week.
“I talked to [Lashlee] for about 10 minutes, and he told me they were pretty interested and liked the way I played,” Klubnik said. “Then he gave me the offer, so it was fun, it was really cool. It was definitely an honor to get one from them because of their really big history of being a successful football team.”
As mentioned, the pair have a connection going back to June of last year, when they met at a quarterback summer camp held at the University of Texas.
“He said I’d fit into the offense really well and he was really excited to offer me at Miami,” Klubnik said of Lashlee. “Obviously, he was at SMU last year and they had a pretty good year, so I think highly of what he’s doing on offense right now.”
Lashlee’s pitch to get the 6-2 180 pound prospect to Miami has been based around Klubnik’s fit in his offensive scheme, and Klubnik says a visit to Coral Gables could be in the cards down the line.
“I would consider visiting, I’m pretty interested right now, although it’s still early for me,” Klubnik said of UM. “At Westlake we’re a spread, we never go under center. So I think I’d be comfortable in that style of offense at Miami.”
As a sophomore in 2019, Klubnik was productive in a complementary role for the state champion Chaparrals behind established senior QB Kirkland Michaux, recording 680 passing yards, a 76.8% completion percentage, and a 8-1 TD-INT split on just 69 attempts; he also added 271 rushing yards and 4 TD’s on the ground on 48 carries.
Heading into the 2020 season, though, Klubnik is set to take the reigns of the offense full-time and has his sights on making plays all year long for Westlake.
“I think I made the most of my limited time on the field. I’m definitely a mobile quarterback, a pocket passer,” Klubnik said. “I’m scrambling and looking downfield to throw first, and if I need to run, I’ll run and get some yards with my legs, but I don’t really call myself a ‘dual-threat’. I think that a dual-threat is more of a run-first type of guy, so I call myself more of a mobile pocket passer.”
Even in limited time on the field last year, once Klubnik’s tape began to circulate, his upside shone through. The Westlake star came into 2020 with zero offers to his name, but now Klubnik has 12 bids to play at the next level, including half of those coming this past month; LSU, Baylor, Auburn, TCU, and Nebraska are some of the other schools that have pulled the trigger on Klubnik thus far.
“I’d say I’m pretty open to everything right now, I’m pretty neutral. There’s a few schools I like, but I haven’t taken any visits to really say,” Klubnik said. “We’ve been in quarantine, so I haven’t gotten a huge chance to go anywhere and see my options.”
As his recruitment started taking off just before the campus lockdowns started, Klubnik admits things have been difficult at times, but that he tries to focus on making the most of the process.
“I’ve just been calling coaches every day, keeping relationships with them and keeping in touch with everybody until all this clears up,” Klubnik said. “Then I’ll get to go on some visits, get to some camps. Maybe by like next February or March, somewhere around then I’ll decide, but I don’t know yet. We’ll see. It’s definitely still early, so I’m just taking it slow.”
What will Klubnik be looking for in a school when he is ready to decide?
“Whenever I get to visit there, just being able to see the culture of the school,” Klubnik said. “Then the coaches, getting to be with them in person, being with the players, being at the games. It’ll just come down to wherever I feel like I need to go and where I belong.”
“I talked to [Lashlee] for about 10 minutes, and he told me they were pretty interested and liked the way I played,” Klubnik said. “Then he gave me the offer, so it was fun, it was really cool. It was definitely an honor to get one from them because of their really big history of being a successful football team.”
As mentioned, the pair have a connection going back to June of last year, when they met at a quarterback summer camp held at the University of Texas.
“He said I’d fit into the offense really well and he was really excited to offer me at Miami,” Klubnik said of Lashlee. “Obviously, he was at SMU last year and they had a pretty good year, so I think highly of what he’s doing on offense right now.”
Lashlee’s pitch to get the 6-2 180 pound prospect to Miami has been based around Klubnik’s fit in his offensive scheme, and Klubnik says a visit to Coral Gables could be in the cards down the line.
“I would consider visiting, I’m pretty interested right now, although it’s still early for me,” Klubnik said of UM. “At Westlake we’re a spread, we never go under center. So I think I’d be comfortable in that style of offense at Miami.”
As a sophomore in 2019, Klubnik was productive in a complementary role for the state champion Chaparrals behind established senior QB Kirkland Michaux, recording 680 passing yards, a 76.8% completion percentage, and a 8-1 TD-INT split on just 69 attempts; he also added 271 rushing yards and 4 TD’s on the ground on 48 carries.
Heading into the 2020 season, though, Klubnik is set to take the reigns of the offense full-time and has his sights on making plays all year long for Westlake.
“I think I made the most of my limited time on the field. I’m definitely a mobile quarterback, a pocket passer,” Klubnik said. “I’m scrambling and looking downfield to throw first, and if I need to run, I’ll run and get some yards with my legs, but I don’t really call myself a ‘dual-threat’. I think that a dual-threat is more of a run-first type of guy, so I call myself more of a mobile pocket passer.”
Even in limited time on the field last year, once Klubnik’s tape began to circulate, his upside shone through. The Westlake star came into 2020 with zero offers to his name, but now Klubnik has 12 bids to play at the next level, including half of those coming this past month; LSU, Baylor, Auburn, TCU, and Nebraska are some of the other schools that have pulled the trigger on Klubnik thus far.
“I’d say I’m pretty open to everything right now, I’m pretty neutral. There’s a few schools I like, but I haven’t taken any visits to really say,” Klubnik said. “We’ve been in quarantine, so I haven’t gotten a huge chance to go anywhere and see my options.”
As his recruitment started taking off just before the campus lockdowns started, Klubnik admits things have been difficult at times, but that he tries to focus on making the most of the process.
“I’ve just been calling coaches every day, keeping relationships with them and keeping in touch with everybody until all this clears up,” Klubnik said. “Then I’ll get to go on some visits, get to some camps. Maybe by like next February or March, somewhere around then I’ll decide, but I don’t know yet. We’ll see. It’s definitely still early, so I’m just taking it slow.”
What will Klubnik be looking for in a school when he is ready to decide?
“Whenever I get to visit there, just being able to see the culture of the school,” Klubnik said. “Then the coaches, getting to be with them in person, being with the players, being at the games. It’ll just come down to wherever I feel like I need to go and where I belong.”
