Sporting News ranks Clemson with fourth-best QB group in ACC

Cade Klubnik commands the Clemson offense and looks to show more from the bright spots of the 2022 season.

by TigerNet Staff - Wed May 31 10:10:17 GMT-04:00 2023

We're under 100 days to kickoff now but it's still list season and Sporting News recently ranked the top quarterbacks in the nation and the QB situations in the ACC.

Starting quarterback Cade Klubnik is ranked 25th overall in SN's rankings for the position.

"Klubnik replaced DJ Uiagalelei in the ACC championship game and took the starting job for good in the Orange Bowl," said Bill Bender. "That two-game sample showed flashes of the five-star's talent, and he'll need to improve in the intermediate and deep passing game. Clemson hired TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley – and that should help energize a Tigers' program that is accustomed to elite quarterback play. Texas A&M's Connor Weigman also could have fit in this spot, but we'll stick with Klubnik for now."

Labor Day opener-opponent QB Riley Leonard of Duke is No. 19, South Carolina's Spencer Rattler is No. 11, Notre Dame's Sam Hartman is No. 10, Florida State's Jordan Travis is No. 7 and UNC's Drake Maye is No. 2. Heisman winner and Southern Cal QB Caleb Williams is No. 1.

Within just the ACC, Clemson ranks fourth in QB situations according to SN (the site lists Notre Dame to classify them in the Power 5, which bumps Clemson up a spot from their ranking).

"Klubnik should be an upgrade over Uiagalelei, but there are still unanswered questions about Clemson’s offensive line and receivers. Unlike last season, however, there will be no questions surrounding who is QB1," SN's Bill Trocchi said.

UNC leads the list, followed by Florida State and Duke.

"Leonard was one of the ACC’s surprises on the league’s biggest surprise team. He was the ACC's fifth-rated passer and rushed for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns as Duke improved from 3-9 to 9-4. His rushing yards led all ACC quarterbacks," said Trocchi. "One caveat to Duke’s turnaround was its nine wins came against an FCS team and eight FBS teams that went 35-61. Still, Duke beat Wake Forest (8-5) and UCF (9-5) to close the season. Leonard has his top five wide receivers back from last season, his top three running backs and three starting offensive linemen. The Blue Devils have a good chance to increase their scoring output of 32.8 points per game with Leonard at the helm."

For other 2023 opponents, Miami is sixth, Wake Forest is seventh, NC State is 10th, Syracuse is 11th and Georgia Tech is 13th.