Cade Klubnik tabbed as a 2025 Heisman frontrunner by national outlet

Cade Klubnik heads into the postseason third in passing touchdowns nationally.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Saturday, December 14 2024

The 2024 Heisman Trophy race ends on Saturday night, and that means some early lookaheads to a year from now.

Awarded to the player regarded as the best in college football, Clemson hasn't produced a Heisman winner, but it has had a pair of second-place finishes from QBs last decade, with Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. Could Cade Klubnik be the next Tiger QB to make a run to NYC? One outlet says so.

247Sports tabbed Klubnik as one of the frontrunners for the honor in 2025.

"Few quarterbacks improved their pro outlook this season as much as Cade Klubnik, who made incredible strides and, for much of the year, was a top-10 to top-five candidate on the Heisman odds board," 247Sports' Carter Bahns writes. "The only knock against his game, and the primary reason why he forecasts as a late-round pick and likely returner to Clemson, was that his biggest struggles came in the Tigers' biggest games. He closed the year with a remarkable 33-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio but had just one touchdown with two picks in his three losses."

PFF detailed what makes Klubnik a big performer this season and a factor for the Tigers' Playoff trip to Texas next Saturday (4 p.m./TNT-MAX).

"Klubnik is one of the most improved quarterbacks in the country this season. His 87.3 passing grade and 27 big-time throws both rank inside the top 10 among FBS quarterbacks. He’s made far more positive plays downfield than in 2023, while his legs have also been a major factor in multiple games this season. Klubnik’s improvement is the primary reason the Tigers have made it to this point," PFF's Dalton Wasserman said.

Other frontrunners listed are Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier (who starts his season at Clemson in 2025) and current Texas backup QB Arch Manning.