Clemson Tigers Named Favorites for Conference Title Behind Veteran QB

The Clemson Tigers are coming off of one of their biggest roller coaster seasons in quite some time. After being blown out by the Georgia Bulldogs in the opener, leading many to believe the campaign was over before it even began, the program rallied the rest of the way. It led to their ninth Atlantic Coast Conference Championship under head coach Dabo Swinney and a College Football Playoff berth.

A big part of their success down the stretch was the strong showing from then-junior quarterback Cade Klubnik. In his second year as the full-time starter, Klubnik took a massive step forward in his development, becoming one of the best at the position in the country.

His development has the expectations at a high level for the Tigers in 2025, and Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated recently named the program the favorites to repeat as conference champions in the coming season behind Klubnik's strong play.

"There’s not just a group of good players coming back, though," writes Fischer, "there’s the potential for upwards of four first-round picks leading the way, including a quarterback in Cade Klubnik who is entering a third season as a starter."

Cade Klubnik, Clemson Tigers Named Favorites in ACC

Klubnik took his game to a whole different level in 2024. The quarterback entered the year with just 3,541 yards on 351-of-554 passing with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while adding just 321 yards on the ground on 167 attempts with six touchdowns.

He more than doubled his career output to that point in one season in 2025, throwing for 3,639 yards on 308-of-486 passing with 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions, adding 463 rushing yards on 119 attempts with seven touchdowns. His 36 passing touchdowns and 43 total touchdowns both ranked third in the nation, while his 4,102 yards responsible for ranked fifth.

The only concern for the 2025 campaign is the tough schedule. Clemson has another tough opener this year with the LSU Tigers, though it does come at home. The rivalry matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks, however, takes place on the road, and they dropped 2024's edition 17-14 in Death Valley.

If Klubnik can take another step forward in his development, it will be a much easier slate than it looks to be on paper. He has already proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, and one more year under Swinney can make him that much better.