ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit Reveals His No. 1 Quarterback in the Nation

In his annual “Herbie Awards”, ESPN’s lead college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, previewed ‘the best’ for college football in 2025, naming Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik as the nation’s best quarterback for the 2025 season.

Despite being up against two talented SEC quarterbacks like LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Florida’s DJ Lagway, Herbstreit still put his money on Klubnik. 

Beating Nussmeier, Klubnik will then go back up against him in Death Valley on Saturday to solidify Herbstreit’s claim as the nation’s best quarterback. 

A win that could help the Tigers on their playoff path. 

“We know that Klubnik went through some growing pains early in his career, has really matured and grown up. Really I think to me, has the chance to have an outstanding year for the Clemson Tigers,” said Herbstreit.

Both Herbstreit and ESPN’s Rece Davis highlighted his growth heading into his final year while emphasizing how much faith Coach Dabo Swinney has had to stick with him through the adversity. 

“Half of the preseason top-10 will start quarterbacks with two or fewer starts; everybody wants to change quarterbacks. Clemson stuck with Klubnik, and man, is it paying off,” Davis said.

Swinney’s had unwavering faith in Klubnik in his time at Clemson. As Klubnik enters his senior season, he’s turned the Clemson Tigers into a team that is back in the playoff conversation: that’s due to Swinney not giving up on him.

And, Klubnik’s grit to never give up when things got hard. 

Herbstreit said, “I think that’s probably the most impressive thing is when he was going through his struggles, Dabo Swinney said, ‘Hey man, you’re our guy.’”

He continued, “This is early in his career, his first year as a starter. He had all that hype, all the expectations. As people were expecting him to just walk in and be a Trevor Lawrence-type of quarterback and he had struggles.”

Although Klubnik didn’t come in as level-headed and even keeled as Lawrence did, Klubnik’s showed up for the Clemson Tigers, proving to be not just a competitor, but a fighter.

“I think he internalized some of that, dealt with it, fought through the adversity and now in the backend he’s a seasoned veteran going into his final campaign,” Herbstreit said.

As the nation eagerly awaits Clemson/LSU, one of college football’s anticipated matchups, Klubnik’s physical and mental game will finally be showcased after months of talking about his season projections. 

“I think he’s in a position with the players they have around him again to have a great start. I think it’s exciting to have him and Garrett Nussmeier playing each other as experienced guys with big, big expectations going head-to-head in week one.”

Both Herbstreit and Davis seem to have the confidence in Klubnik, now he’ll step on the stage to prove why he deserves being named the best quarterback. 

“Some of us have Cade Klubnik and his team as a preseason number one and believe that they're going to win the National Championship. So, long way to go before, we’ll see.” Davis said.