Biggest takeaway: If you look at the career of Klubnik, he has shown great improvement. Clemson should have a loaded squad this year, and the quarterback is set up to have a monster campaign. The ACC isn’t on the same level as the Big Ten and SEC, but the Tigers’ 2025 slate is bookended by quality SEC opponents: LSU in a highly anticipated opener and South Carolina in the regular-season finale. I can’t wait to see how he performs against those two opponents. Clemson should be a national title contender, and if Klubnik can take the next step as a player, he’ll generate significant draft buzz.
He reminds me of: I spent a lot of time combing through old reports to find a comp for Klubnik. I couldn’t find one that stood out as an ideal match, but his notes read similar to the ones I made for Ryan Tannehill when he was coming out of Texas A&M. Obviously, Tannehill is much bigger, and I thought his arm strength was better than Klubnik’s is at this point in time. However, both guys are very athletic, possessing ideal quickness and the ability to create plays. They both throw with touch and timing and excel on loft passes down the field. Tannehill carved out a solid, decade-plus career, making the Pro Bowl in 2019. Klubnik has areas where he needs to continue to improve, but he has the upside to follow a similar NFL path.
Numbers to know: Klubnik ranked fifth in the FBS last season with 28 big-time throws — a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window — per PFF. He trailed only Kyle McCord, Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart (all 2025 NFL Draft picks, with Ward and Dart being the first two QBs taken) and Seth Henigan in the category. Now, to be clear, not all tight-window throws are created equal. Sometimes, it’s a credit to the defense, but other times, it’s on the quarterback for not getting the ball where it needed to be on time. There are some of each in Klubnik’s tape.