CBS Sports’ Josh Pate believes Cade Klubnik could be the best quarterback in college football this season. His showing last year gives the Clemson Tigers national championship hopes.
Insider Details Why Clemson’s Cade Klubnik Can Win the Heisman Trophy
Pate was asked who he believes are the five top returning signal-callers this season. Klubnik, a two-time ACC Championship game MVP, was the first that came to mind.
“There are a lot of them returning, but there are no huge superstars returning,” Pate said in a video posted Monday on the YouTube page for “Josh Pate’s College Football Show.” “Cade Klubnik could be that this year. … There was a major Year 1 to Year 2 jump for him last year.”
Klubnik had an outstanding season for the Tigers as a junior. He accounted for 43 total touchdowns, tying Tajh Boyd (2012) and Trevor Lawrence (2019) for the second-most passing touchdowns (36) in a season for Clemson.
Among ACC passers, only Miami’s Cam Ward (39) had more air strikes last go-round. Klubnik finished ahead of Syracuse’s Kyle McCord (34), Duke’s Maalik Murphy (26), and Louisville’s Tyler Shough (23) in that category.
Ward was the No. 1 overall pick in April’s 2025 NFL Draft, while Shough went in the second round.
In total, Klubnik passed for 3,639 yards in total and had just six interceptions. The season before, he threw for 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The improvement impressed Pate, who thinks Klubnik can bring home a certain famed stiff-arming statue, as well.
“His legs were a big factor,” Pate said of Klubnik’s showing in 2024. “He could win the Heisman this year. Clemson could win the national title this year because of him. He’s got the best receiver room they’ve had there in a while.”
“I’m not gonna say they have a weakness at running back. They’re very unproven there, and, because of that, he may have to shoulder more of the load. And, you know what, they should feel comfortable asking a third-year guy under the same coordinator again to do that.”
Klubnik arrived at Clemson as a highly-touted recruit. Rivals.com labeled him the top passer in the nation. In 2021, he was Texas’ Gatorade Player of the Year at Westlake High School.
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Pate also included Florida’s DJ Lagway, Penn State’s Drew Allar, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and Miami’s Carson Beck.
Lagway impressed after being thrust in for the Gators as a true freshman, while Nussmeier and Beck are both experienced signal-callers. Allar is a big reason why the Nittany Lions are highly regarded entering the upcoming season.
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