History Suggests Clemson Star Cade Klubnik Will Contend for Heisman, Top 10 Pick

The Clemson Tigers have some incredibly high expectations heading into the 2025 college football season because of how talented their roster is.

Head coach Dabo Swinney did a wonderful job of not only adding impact performers to the roster -- such as freshman running back Gideon Davidson and defensive end Will Heldt in the transfer portal -- but retaining talent from last year’s team.

Entering the transfer portal has become all the rage in college football, with players seeking not only more playing time, but a bigger payday.

Clemson was able to avoid losing too much high-end talent in that avenue. A few impact players exhausted their eligibility or opted to move on to the next level, joining the NFL.

The most important player retained this offseason was quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Entering his fourth year with the program and third as the starter, the former five-star recruit had a true coming out party in 2024.

He completed 63.4% of his passes for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions. 463 yards were added on the ground along with seven more scores.

That level of production has placed Klubnik in rarified air, suggesting that his football future is incredibly bright.

“Eight QBs in the playoff era have racked up at least 4,100 yards and 43 touchdowns while having seven or fewer turnovers, as Klubnik did last season. The others include five Heisman winners and two finalists. Each was selected within the first 10 picks of the NFL draft,” wrote David Hale of ESPN (subscription required).

Surprisingly, the Tigers star was not in the mix for the Heisman Trophy in 2024, not even finishing within the top 10. But he is expected to be in race for some accolades this year.

That omission will be easier to stomach if Klubnik can continue the trend of those players being selected high in their respective draft classes.

It is certainly something within reach, with some early mock drafts having him getting selected No. 1 overall.

Already regarded as one of the top signal callers in the country, he has a chance to solidify his standing with an incredibly talented supporting cast around him.

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