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Battle-Tested 2022 QB Klubnik Is Nationally Ranked; Sees Opening For Westlake's Starting Job
Fans got an early look at Westlake 2022 prospect Cade Klubnik during the 2019 Texas high school football season. The sophomore battled seniors Kirkland Michaux and Drew Willoughby in his team's quarterback race for a good portion of the season and performed well enough to be the position's starter favorite for the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.
"Me, Drew and Kirkland were battling it out the first six to seven games and it was all close every game it felt like," said Klubnik. "Honestly, the most important thing I learned was that every rep matters. You just can't have a bad rep because that'll become bad plays in games."
"While we were competing, it wasn't just in games, but in warm-ups in practice [and] in routes vs air," he continued. "Everything was a competition and everyday I had to walk out on the field and try to be better than those other guys. It was a lot of fun in the end, and also a lot of people would think [that] us three don't get along because we were competing. But, honestly we hung out a lot and were all really good friends."
Michaux eventually held the reins in the second half of 2019 and led Westlake to the season's UIL 6A Division II state championship, the program's best finish since the 1996 season, but Klubnik enjoyed the ride.
"I'll definitely remember most how we felt as a family after every game," said Klubnik. "Every player in there had worked their butt off, whether it was a starting four-star receiver or a practice squad player. We all were so happy and felt accomplished of what we had done and all celebrated together. It was an awesome feeling."
Since Klubnik made the most of his time on the field, the expected transition from Michaux and Willoughby to him should be an easy one. Westlake Nation is confident in his abilities because he made smart decisions in the 12 games he played last season by leading his teammates with a 76.8 completion percentage and also contributed touchdowns with his arm and legs.
"I would call myself a mobile quarterback to be honest," he said. "That's kinda what I've always told people when they ask me."
"I'm a throw-first kinda [guy] when I scramble but, [if] I see nothing open, I'm taking off and trying to score with my legs or at least get a first down," he continued. "I think that helps a lot with our offense because we have such great receivers and running backs that when I pass it, I know they are gonna get it and my O-Line will give me the time to do so. But, when we wanna run the ball, we have got two outstanding running backs that are just crazy good. So, I think when we put it all together, I'm gonna be the guy who throws it, but when there's those opportunities that I can go split one for 70 yards, I'm gonna take it."
Because of his versatility and progress as an athlete, Klubnik is starting to get noticed. One example is the fact that 247Sports recognizes him as an athlete to watch in the 2022 recruiting race. The company currently ranks him as the 241st prospect and ninth-best pro-style quarterback in the country and number 29 athlete in Texas.
"I was honestly a bit surprised," he said. "But, very happy at the same time. I was little worried at the end of the season with not getting to play a lot in the playoffs and I was really just focused on next season. But, I had a solid film and enough good plays to help me get setup with recruiting. And I think when I played a lot during the regular [season], I did good enough to catch some eyes. So, I was really excited to see that I was a top 10 [player]. I mean what an honor."
College football programs have also liked what they've seen, so he has some great early offers to choose from. That currently includes Power Five members Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor and Virginia Tech and in-state Group of Five programs SMU and Texas State.
"It's nice to have offers," he said. "And I think they just happen to come and once one comes, more come and it's nice to have options for when the day comes that I get to choose where to play college football one day. But right now, colleges aren't my top priority to be honest. I keep in touch with all of them and I keep relationships, but at the end of the day I'm still playing high school football and I've got one job right now and that's to go 16-0 next year. So, me and my teammates are working...everyday. And right now, all my options are open. No schools are above or below any others."
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Galvan's 2022 UT Offer Arrived At Perfect Time
Around this time in 2019, Rylan Galvan was beginning his high school baseball career at Sinton High School. He had no idea how far it would go over the next three months.
It started with Galvan's quick development from freshman player to varsity leader, and continued with Sinton's second 30-win season and second UIL 4A Region IV Semifinal appearance in three years.
"I earned the upperclassmen respect by simply proving [to] them that I could play and hang with them, and also playing to a very high level that they didn't believe I could play at," said Galvan. "What I do to be a leader on the team is that I lead by example. Showing [teammates] the right way to play the game, and that's with class, respect, sportsmanship and [competing] at 100 miles per hour at all times. I also lead by being very positive with my teammates."
Sinton's 2019 season ultimately concluded with a series sweep defeat against Liberty Hill, but Galvan was able to quickly turn his attention away from the disappointment. That's because he received an offer from his dream school the following day.
"I received my official offer [on] May 26th, 2019," he said. "I was extremely honored and blessed with the offer because, growing up as a kid, I idolized The University of Texas baseball program and had dreams of being able to one day wear that burnt orange and white."
Galvan has obviously admired UT for a long time and expects it to be a good fit.
"I feel that Texas was the right choice for me because the coaching staff and the whole baseball program made me feel at home," he said. "I connected with them very quickly and felt like they could help me take my game to the level [that] I'm trying to reach. Academics is also something [that is] very important in my life and I felt like there was no better place to receive a degree from than The University of Texas."
Galvan is still two years away from stepping on The Forty Acres as a student, but there's an experience that he's already looking forward to.
"Being able to attend a Texas football game is probably what I'm looking forward to the most because I hear the atmosphere is like no other," he said.
In the meantime, Galvan wants to continue Sinton's great baseball legacy. He is familiar with the program's three UIL state championships from the 1988, 1989 and 2002 seasons and nine UIL state final four appearances from the 1975, 1988, 1989, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2014 and 2017 campaigns, and wants to experience a similar run for himself.
"We are a very different team than last year," he said. "This year, we are a very young team, but with a lot of talent that is very capable of making that deep playoff run. We plan on building off last year's season by just upholding that Sinton Pirate baseball tradition and continuing to do things the right way, just how the guys that came through the program before us did. Our goal this year, as it is every year for this program, is to bring a state championship back to the town of Sinton."
For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPESATX) on Twitter.
Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.