Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik topped CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford’s personal top ten quarterbacks who are returning to college in 2025, besting LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Texas’ Arch Manning.
The nomination comes after the rising senior from Austin, Texas connected on 63% of his passes for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns, while throwing just six interceptions. His yardage total ranked third in the ACC, behind Syracuse’s Kyle McCord and Miami’s Cam Ward. It was also an improvement from his 2023 season, where he had just 2,844 yards, 19 touchdowns, and nine picks.
Klubnik wasn’t just a threat with his arm in 2024, though. On the ground, he piled up 463 yards on 119 carries, good for a 3.9 yard average, and seven touchdowns. The yardage was an improvement in the run game as well as the pass, growing from 182 yards and four scores.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Klubnik will be asked to shoulder much of the load on an offense that looks to reload. Clemson averaged 34.7 points per game, good for 18th in the country. The offense’s 451.9 yards per game ranked 12th nationally, and could improve in 2025.
Tailback Phil Mafah departs for the NFL Draft, but a more-than-viable receiving corps of Antonio Williams, T.J. Moore, Tyler Brown, Bryant Wesco Jr., and newcomer Tristan Smith only bolster their attack. Clemson ranked sixth in the ACC in rushing in 2024, and leaned on the pass for the majority of the season. That looks to continue in 2025.
Heading into the 2024 season, there was a growing concern with the level of play that Klubnik had provided in 2023. A stumble in the season-opening defeat at the hands of No. 1 Georgia seemed to reinforce those opinions and create dialogue about the long-term future of Clemson recruiting at skill positions.
Klubnik’s play in the remainder of the season, while not being complete perfection, was more than serviceable. He became one of the premier quarterbacks in not just the ACC, but in all of college football. 2025 will be a pivotal year for his draft stock, which currently sits around a second round projection.
2025 opens with a showdown against the LSU Tigers in Clemson’s Death Valley. Klubnik, who is an early Heisman contender, will look to make an opening statement to what he hopes is a milestone senior campaign.
