"I don't think he's (Cade Klubnik) going to be a first-round quarterback" - CFB insider points fingers at Dabo Swinney for Clemson QB's shortcomings

There's been much talk about how Cade Clubnik's fourth season at Clemson will go.

The predictions have ranged from some calling him potentially the best quarterback in college football at the moment to others doubting his ability to take the Tigers to the next level. It seems Ari Wasserman from On3 is part of the latter camp.

On Andy & Ari On3 on Friday, the college sports analyst said about Clemson's signal-caller (27.45):

"I don't think he's (Cade Klubnik) going to be a first-round quarterback... He throws into harm's way a lot. Now, some of that is because of Clemson's offense. It is very short-oriented, slants, spots, short passing game staples.

"That's really going to invite the defense to play closer to the line of scrimmage and reduce the space your guys have to operate. ... He was not delivering the explosives that you want."

Nevertheless, 2024 was Clubnik's best season in college football. He led the Tigers to a 10-4 overall record, with an appearance in the College Football Playoff (CFP), throwing for 3639 yards, with 36 touchdowns and six interceptions. His 78.7 QBR ranked 12th in the nation.

Greg McElroy ranks Cade Klubnik as the best quarterback going into the 2025 season

ESPN's Greg McElroy holds a whole different opinion from Wasserman when it comes to the abilities of Cade Klubnik. Early in May, the former Alabama quarterback turned college sports analyst, ranked Klubnik as the best quarterback for the 2025 season.

"We are going with Cade Klubnik of the Clemson Tigers. Now, I thought last year he did an amazing job. ... Showed a willingness to contribute an awful lot with his legs, that is not something he did a lot of before. Last year, it became a lot more of a part of how he attacked the opposing defense. ... I love how much he improved from 2023." [1:00]

It's an understandable argument to be made, with Klubnik being the most experienced returning quarterback of a top program in 2025. Bookies see a bright season ahead for Cade Klubnik, with him being fourth in the odds to win the Heisman Trophy at +1000 at the moment, according to BetMGM.

About the author

Andres is an analyst who has reported on college basketball and college football at Sportskeeda since 2023. Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in law from Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela, and has minor in International Relations. Andres holds a college certificate in Sports Entities Management from Unisport Management School in Spain. He is also an alumnus of the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management by FIFA and Universidad Metropolitana, and has been accepted into the Harvard CORe online program for which he was awarded a grant.

Given his background in sports management, law and business, Andres loves any chance to jump into the industry side of things and explain what's happening behind the curtain. He takes care when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff and ensures he refers only to appropriate and respected sources.

His favorite college team is the Arkansas Razorbacks. While Troy Aikman and Joe Montana are two of his most favorite QBs, he is also an admirer of Joe Burrow's style and is rooting for Riley Leonard to do well.

Andres is an avid reader, likes adventure sports, dabbles in rock climbing, and is also a scuba diver. He is also an enthusiastic gamer, especially when it comes to strategy PC titles and loves his fair share of Halo.

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Edited by Bhargav