Frank Reich has coached many quarterbacks over his decades in the National Football League.
Andrew Luck, Carson Wentz, Philip Rivers, and Jacoby Brissett are some of the many names the New York Jets offensive coordinator has coached. As a former quarterback in the league — and a former Jets quarterback — Reich has a deeper understanding of the position than others in his shoes.
So when the Jets traded two fourth-round picks to draft Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik 110th overall, Reich’s fingerprints were seemingly all over New York’s draft board.
That’s something Klubnik is excited to dip his toes in.
Klubnik joins Jets’ offense
The biggest question facing the Jets following the draft selection of Klubnik is whether the value of the pick made sense. New York gave up their two fourth-round picks in 2026 in order to move up to get the Clemson starter.
“(He) had a great Combine interview, which kind of sparked us to want to get down to Clemson and work him out and spend some more time with him,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said. “Unfortunately, had a down year this year, but still young, athletic with some upside, and feel really good about being able to get him.”
New York had a rare look at Klubnik before any other team did. Passing game coordinator Seth Ryan played at Clemson through 2017 and still has plenty of connections there.
If the Jets became interested in Klubnik, they had plenty of resources to determine what his ceiling could be at the NFL level.
“I’m not going to sit here and say exactly where Cade’s going to play,” Aaron Glenn said. “The thing is, those guys are going to go out there and compete. Right now, I like that room. I like where it’s at.”
The 22-year-old signal-caller enjoyed success at Clemson throughout his career. He went 26-14 as a starter and won multiple ACC Championships. The Tigers weren’t the same national title contender they once were, but Klubnik’s play was a lot better than people gave it credit for.
It caught the eye of the one Jets coach who seemed to have the final say on the type of quarterback wanted.
Reich’s push
Frank Reich has coached plenty of quarterbacks with different body types. He’s seen the most success, though, in athletic signal-callers who could make things happen when the initial play broke down.
A constant theme from those very quarterbacks is their willingness to get better. That’s something Klubnik showed in their very first meeting with the Jets’ offensive brass.
“I’m a competitor, and I love making people around me better, too, though, so I’m excited to get in that room and go to work,” Klubnik said. “I already told Coach Reich, send me the playbook tonight. So, I’m excited to go to work and excited to show everybody who Cade Klubnik is. I think my best ball is ahead of me.”
During his time at Clemson, Klubnik was known as a very accurate passer with subpar arm talent. In four years with the Tigers, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 73 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
He also added 878 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns on the ground.
“I think for me, my ability to make plays and be able to put the offense in situations to go win games,” Klubnik said. “I think that my resilience to be able to fight through anything, but I think my accuracy is where I kind of make my money.”
Accuracy was always a must for Reich’s version of the West Coast offense. The combination of prior quarterbacks to work under the new Jets coach posted completion percentages over 60 percent.
Klubnik may not see the field as a rookie, but his accuracy is expected to carry over well at the NFL level.
New York was always going to target a quarterback in the 2026 class. They wanted to work with someone who could be their developmental piece for the next few years. With Klubnik, they were able to come away with a quarterback with plenty of college starts and intriguing intangibles to build off of.
And if the Jets were willing to part with two fourth-round picks as they were, it’s clear that the team was given the approval from Reich to make the move.
