Here’s the yearly reminder that no Clemson football player has ever won the Heisman Trophy.
Not Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence, or C.J. Spiller, just to name a few former Tiger greats.
However, it’s not some dark cloud hanging over Death Valley. This school has won three national championships. Still, the award is named after a former Clemson coach, and it’s something many fans and followers of the Tigers want to see happen at some point. What are the odds it’s this year?
Well, quarterback Cade Klubnik enters the 2025 season on Satruday against LSU third on DraftKings Sportsbook’s Heisman odds list, behind Texas QB Arch Manning and next Saturday’s opponent, Garrett Nussmeier.
How does Klubnik become the first Clemson Tiger to take home the award and enter college football immortality? First off, remember that this is an award voted on by a large group of individuals with differing opinions. It’s a popularity contest in the end, so you have to stand out.
Five ways Klubnik can be the first
Surpass last year’s numbers
Putting up big numbers is an easy one. All Heisman hopefuls have to do something to catch voters’ attention on the stat sheet. Sure, it would help to go Joe Burrow on the record books, but that’s not necessary. There also isn’t a preseason threshold of stat expectations you have to meet. It changes based on how the season goes.
But it certainly helps to have better numbers than the previous year. Voters like to see that. It feels like progression and makes you worthy of consideration. What does Klubnik have to surpass? He threw for 3,639 yards, which ranked in the top 10 nationally last year. He completed a respectable, but improvable, 63.4% of his passes. He tossed 36 touchdowns through the air (third-most nationally and most of any returning QB) and scored another seven via the run. Klubnik had six throws intercepted on 486 passing attempts, a better ratio than Cam Ward and Kyle McCord last season.
Another season with low-turnover, high-touchdown rates, and more passing yards is going to easily get him in the conversation.
Make the CFP
Here’s another simple benchmark. That doesn’t mean it’s an easy one, but Clemson is the best team in the ACC, a large favorite to win the league, and a favorable schedule to earn one of the automatic bids to the College Football Playoff. They should be part of the 12-team field. The defense is certainly good enough, and Klubnik has real threats at receiver and an incredibly experienced offensive line.
Now, you’d think almost think making the CFP is a prerequisite to winning the Heisman, but two of the four finalists last year weren’t in the postseason tournament. That said, the expectations for Clemson are so great this season that failing to get there will feel like a failure and a disappointment, something that won’t attract voters to Klubnik. It feels like his stats and winning will strongly correlate in 2025.
Get some help
The favorite to win the Heisman is Texas QB Arch Manning. Unlike Klubnik and a host of other top preseason candidates, Manning has never been a season-long starter, but his team is incredibly talented, and he’s got one of the most notable pedigrees you’ll ever find. Still, losing and looking bad against Ohio State on Saturday or dropping a couple of SEC games while not performing at a high level could knock him off the top perch.
That would be good for Klubnik. If other candidates fail to meet expectations and thin out the contender list, it would certainly help as well. Beating Nussmeier in the opener would give Klubnik a great head-to-head measure. Maybe Penn State’s Drew Allar underwhelms, or Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith’s stats suffer with a new QB. There will undoubtedly be some names not being thrown around who will emerge, but because of Klubnik’s starting point in the media, he can overcome the unknowns.
Beat LaNorris Sellers
Believe it or not, South Carolina’s starting quarterback is getting a lot of attention in Heisman betting markets. With juicy odds and on a team that overachieved last year, thanks in large part to Sellers, this Gamecock winning the Heisman isn’t the most far-fetched idea ever. Plus, he’s 1-0 head-to-head with Klubnik after South Carolina won in Death Valley last year.
Beating your rival is very important in a popularity contest. It stands out, and if Sellers has good numbers and is in the Heisman conversation much of the season, what happens on the last Saturday in November could have award implications. If Klubnik is in the mix that late, he simply can’t let another loss to Sellers derail the perception he’s built all season.
Turn receivers into stars
You know what helped Burrow run away with the Heisman in 2019? Two first-round NFL receivers. You know who had the same thing in 2023? Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. You know who won the award last year? A receiver (who also doubled as a cornerback). Still, the point is, receivers play a massive role in deciding the Heisman. If you have good ones, it can boost your stats and perception. Voters see all the viral touchdown videos on social media. They know who threw the pass that the dynamic playmaker took to the house.
It matters, and Clemson has some really, really good pass catchers in Antonio Williams, T.J. Moore, and Bryant Wesco Jr. However, none have reached start status yet. The latter two are entering their sophomore seasons. Williams is a senior leader. If any of them become true stars in the game, meaning they’re featured on national shows and emerge as potential first-round draft picks, it makes Klubnik look even better. It also helps statistically. The symbiotic Heisman relationship between QB and WR can certainly lead to a Heisman.