Clemson Football: Tigers who are Heisman Hopefuls for 2023
By John Chancey
Cade Klubnik will be the face of Clemson Football
No position stands a better chance to be a Heisman hopeful than the quarterback. The Heisman has become very focused on the player behind center. Therefore Klubnik has the best chance of any Tiger by default. That said, by season’s end he might have a legitimate argument that he is the best football player on the team.
Garrett Riley is the quarterbacks coach in addition to the offensive coordinator. He was successful at SMU with Tanner Mordecai and then made Max Duggan a Heisman finalist at TCU. There is plenty of excitement about what Riley could manage with Klubnik.
We haven’t forgotten the lesson of the past few seasons: sometimes players don’t live up to their star ratings. That doesn’t mean Klubnik won’t live up to them. By all accounts, he has the physical and the mental, which has been called into question with others who haven’t lived up to expectations.
The assessment of Klubnik is that he can be great. The assessment of Riley is that he can make quarterbacks great. If the assessments are correct, then Klubnik should have a great year.
You can’t just talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. They just need to go out there and do it. It also wouldn’t hurt if the offensive line gels the way we all hope it can.