Cade Klubnik recalls NIL journey, discusses deal with Samsung

As Cade Klubnik got ready for his senior season at Austin (TX) Westlake, college athletics entered its new era. The NCAA paved the way for athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, meaning Klubnik got to see the landscape transform as both a recruit and a player.

Previously, Klubnik said he felt like a “guinea pig” while navigating the space. Speaking with On3 via Zoom, the Clemson quarterback explained why.

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The NIL world has gone through rapid change since it became part of college sports in July 2021. Now, there’s the revenue-sharing component under the House settlement, meaning schools can directly pay athletes. All the while, Klubnik – who has a $2.1 million On3 NIL Valuation – rose to prominence as one of the biggest names in college football, with a front-row seat for it all.

“It’s awesome to be able to navigate,” Klubnik said on behalf of Samsung. “NIL, it’s a crazy thing. I’ve felt like a guinea pig of NIL. I was already committed, but I was going into my senior year of high school when NIL became legal. Every year, it’s been different. Every single year it’s been different – from collectives to no collectives to now, collectives and then rev-share and no collectives again. There’s just so many things going on.

“Every year has been different, but every year has been really cool to be able to see it. I think that they’re finally starting to nail it down on what it needs to be like. It’s been cool.”

Cade Klubnik: ‘Such an honor’ to sign with Samsung

Earlier this month, Cade Klubnik officially signed an NIL deal with Samsung as part of Team Galaxy. He joined Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love as the latest athletes to secure partnerships with the company.

Klubnik and Love joined athletes such as LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier as part of Samsung’s roster. He now has a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, which he said is popular around the Clemson facility.

Klubnik told On3 it’s “awesome” to join Samung’s athlete roster as the company ventures farther into the NIL space. He praised the company’s investment in the space.

“Just such an honor to be a part of that team,” Klubnik said. “They’re who they are. For me to be a part of that and to have my name attached to that is just such an honor. It’s really cool. Just to look around the other athletes and different people that they also have working with, it’s really cool.”

After opting to return to Clemson this year, Klubnik signed multiple high-profile NIL deals this offseason. In addition to his agreement with Samsung, he secured partnerships with Celsius and Collegiate Legends, the latter of which saw him receive a custom bobblehead.

Klubnik is repped by Athletes First, and he credited his team for helping him succeed off the field. But he also praised the support Clemson offers, both in NIL and with revenue-sharing.

“Man, it’s great,” Klubnik said. “It definitely took us a little bit to kind of figure it out, like everybody. The whole NIL world is just changing so much over the last few years. They’re doing a great job in just the way that they support us, how to take care of our money once we get it and stuff like that. Definitely thankful for everybody we have here.”