Can Cade Klubnik and Clemson Return to Their Glory Days in 2025?

In the transfer portal era of college football, it feels appropriate to shovel dirt on anyone not using it.

However, one of college football's most stacked rosters hasn't come from swooning established stars from small schools. The Clemson Tigers have just three new transfers joining the school in 2025 as Dabo Swinney continues to vow not to fish in that ocean.

Swinney and the Tigers are still handing out a sporty NIL package. It's just to incoming freshman, and in 2024, this team felt some of those growing pains of such a youthful approach -- and broke through them. A season that started with a 34-3 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs was capped with a College Football Playoff appearance opposite the Texas Longhorns that was a one-possession game in the fourth quarter.

There was a dearth of orange paws on my 2025 NFL Draft big board, too. A lot of Clemson's best are returning for another year, including quarterback and top 2026 prospect Cade Klubnik.

Returning so many parts, can this Clemson squad rival some of the title teams in the Swinney era? Is a national title a realistic ceiling?

Where Does Cade Klubnik Rank Among This Year's Quarterbacks?

With much tape to survey between now and next April, I would identify Cade Klubnik as the top quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft currently.

Klubnik made two starts as a freshman in 2022 before getting handed the reigns in 2023. He's had higher than a 61.0% completion rate in all three seasons with steady progression in passing yardage and passer rating. His QBR improved from just 55.0 in 2023 to 78.8 last year, which was 15th in FBS. For context, I had a first-round grade on Shedeur Sanders (78.2 QBR) -- even if these two's surrounding situations are very different.

Against a Longhorns team that had five players drafted in the top 125 picks this April, Klubnik posted 336 yards on a 60.5% completion rate with 3 passing scores. Clemson ran for just 76 total yards, there were maximum stakes on the line, and Texas led all of FBS in passing YPA allowed (5.7). It was one of most impressive individual efforts of the season by a QB.

As many search for a dual-threat answer at the position, Cade scampered for 463 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground last year. That box is largely checked.

Obviously, we're expecting better in 2025. That's the excitement as all three of the team's top wide receivers by target share a year ago are returning: Antonio Williams (20.7%), Bryant Wesco Jr. (14.7%), and T.J. Moore (14.1%). Added chemistry should produce fireworks from this Clemson passing game in the upcoming campaign.

A Defense for the Ages

It's hard to steal the show from a projected top-five pick at quarterback, but this Tigers defense might.

Peter Woods is probably even likelier to be the draft's top defender selected. The 6'3", 315-pound defensive lineman might not have blown you away on the stat sheet in 2024 with 18 tackles and 3 sacks, but Woods -- at that size -- was lined up anywhere from a 0-technique on the ball to an EDGE rusher.

He is a versatile freak athlete joined by T.J. Parker as the more traditional pass-rusher. Parker was ninth in FBS with 11.0 sacks last season, so that's the type of player that can free Woods up inside.

Cornerback Aveion Terrell and defensive tackles Stephiylan Green and DeMonte Capehart are also projected Day 2 picks, per The Ringer's Todd McShay.

Clemson had just three players selected in April's draft, and they were all seniors. You knew the cupboard was going to be loaded before even diving into the 2026 class when the Tigers have held down a top-12 recruiting ranking out of high school for each year between 2022 and 2024.

They've got some work to do to keep that ranking for 2025, but winning games this year should help the cause.

Clemson Tigers 2025 Season Preview

There was a period in the 2010s where the ACC was just "The Clemson Invitational." With +110 odds to the win the conference title game, per FanDuel's college football odds, it might be a return to that period.

The Miami (FL) Hurricanes aren't dust with Carson Beck replacing Cameron Ward at signal-caller, but Beck posted just 169.7 yards per game in three matchups with top-20 defenses in passing YPA allowed. Forget how he might fare opposite this vaunted Clemson (20th in 2024) group; we'll see how he navigates neutral-site or road matchups with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Florida State Seminoles, and SMU Mustangs.

Clemson got an unbelievable break with their schedule. They'll be favorites in every game until a final meeting with the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia since they drew SMU and Florida State at home -- and dodged Miami outright. The diciest game might be an opener against the SEC's LSU Tigers where Clemson is currently just a -154 favorite.

Considering they're still likely to prevail in the opener, the Tigers are an absurd +125 at FanDuel to be either 11-1 or 12-0 entering the ACC Championship:

With that the case, is Heisman buzz appropriate for Klubnik? He is a dual threat who will put up quite a few counting stats in wins.

However, his 2024 stats were dinged by seven wins by at least 17 points -- or 3 possessions. That might get worse in 2025, so adding the uphill battle against any decent Arch Manning season to win college football's most prestigious award, Klubnik is a difficult sell in that market (+900).

But, as the most polished returning passer on a team likely to make the College Football Playoff, I see value in his +600 odds to be the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Manning coming out after just 12-to-15 college starts would be quite the stunner given the family's historical valuation of collegiate experience. Remember, Eli Manning stayed in school.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.