The 2025 season cannot begin soon enough. Clemson is considered one of the top national title contenders heading into 2025 and Cade Klubnik is the straw that stirs the Tigers' drink.
The senior quarterback just had a career junior year with Clemson, passing for 3,638 yards and 36 touchdowns with over 400 rushing yards. He's one of a handful of quarterbacks over the past decade to account for over 4,000 total yards, 40-plus total touchdowns, and six or fewer turnovers.
Klubnik was also a rare quarterback to have that stat line and not finish in the top 10 of Heisman Trophy voting, but as long as he lives up to expectations in 2025, that won't happen again.
Many college football experts have already tabbed Klubnik as the No. 1 returning quarterback in the country and a guy who could legitimately take home the Heisman Trophy in 2025.
Pro Football Focus agrees, ranking him as one of the top five Heisman candidates in the country.
Along with Klubnik, Arizona Stat quarterback Sam Leavitt, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, and Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith round out the list of top five Heisman candidates for the 2025 season.
It would be tough to argue that anyone has a better chance than Klubnik just based off the 2025 season alone.
Leavitt had a great year as a freshman transfer from Michigan State, turning Arizona State from a bottom-dweller into a playoff team. Nussmeier had some gawdy numbers. Manning has all the hype in the world based on the family he comes from. And Smith was the best receiver in the nation.
I'm rolling with Klubnik here.