Cade Klubnik Bullish on Clemson Tigers' Offense: 'We Got the Dudes'

Out of all of the fans, media, and players, there is nobody more excited to see the Clemson Tigers offense than its quarterback, Cade Klubnik. 

The senior spoke to the panel of ACC Huddle on Thursday, previewing what to expect from the Tigers’ offense in the 2025 season. In his final year with the team, the pieces are aligned around him, especially at the skill positions. 

Clemson’s wide receiver room, which had a revival in 2024, is a group that Klubnik is comfortable with, especially with the depth of experienced talent. 

“We’ve got a great room that is explosive and they’re smart,” he said. “They know the game really well, they study the game, they’re QB friendly, they know what my reads are. They know the game, and that’s what I think makes them really special.”

A question mark for Clemson has been the running back position, which saw its starter, Phil Mafah, go to the NFL Draft after running out of eligibility. However, Klubnik is ready for some new faces in the backfield, calling it “loaded” and “exciting.”

“We’ve got so many dudes, it’s hard to really pick one right now because there’s a lot of guys that can go play elite football and be elite at that position,” the quarterback said.

A former target of his, Adam Randall, made the switch from wide receiver to running back entering his senior season after some flashes of his running ability were seen at the end of the 2024 season. Watching him in practice, Klubnik said that the team will be able “to do some fun things with him”.

Klubnike said that Randall has gone from 230 pounds to “almost 240 now [with] 7% body fat”, transforming his body for the position. 

“He’s used to going up against guys like Avieon Terrell and Nate Wiggins and beating them in one-on-ones, so put him at running back and make him run some routes, that’s going to be tough for a MIKE linebacker. 

His offensive line, which he has shown love for by wearing a graphic t-shirt of center Ryan Linthicum while traveling for the event, is another positive for Klubnik, crediting offensive line coach Matt Luke with its development for the last two years. 

“I feel like I have a great relationship with all of those guys,” he said. “I love those guys, you’ve got to. . .those guys are workaholics and they love the grind. They got the best offensive line coach in the country coaching them up, and they’ve got some young bucks in there too.”

The Tigers finished 12th in the country in total yards per game (451.9) and return almost everybody from last season, especially at the skill positions. In Klubnik’s final season as a Tiger, he hopes to accomplish everything that he can. 

“We’ve got the dudes to do it,” he said. “These guys can run, these guys can go up and get the ball so let’s get the ball downfield, explosion, and honestly manage the game. Let's just put our team in the best scenario to win games, and I got the guys around me. . .so that takes some pressure off of me.”