This weekend saw the official kickoff of the 2025 CFB season with a handful of Week 0 matchups led by the Top 25 clash between Kansas State and Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic overseas in Dublin.
But it wouldn’t be a new season without a new edition of Kirk Herbstreit’s “Herbie Awards,” and the longtime “GameDay” analyst made sure let fans know how he’s feeling heading into what should be another exciting year on the college football gridiron.
Advertisement
With stars like Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Riley Leonard and Will Howard graduating to the NFL, there’s a new slate of CFB signal-callers ready to step up and lead their respective teams this fall — and there’s one name in particular that the ESPN commentator has his eyes on.
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 1: Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN College GameDay speaks on set before the Rose Bowl between Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)Ric Tapia/Getty Images
Herbstreit’s No. 1 QB
One of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the year takes place in Week 1 when Clemson and LSU face-off at Memorial Stadium Aug. 30 on ABC.
Advertisement
A lot of which has to do with the two quarterbacks involved — Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier — who are projected to be two of the top picks in the upcoming draft. However only one Tigers QB can be the recipient of this year’s “Herbie,” and that would be the five-star senior out of Austin, TX.
“We know that Klubnik went through some growing pains early in his career, has really matured and grown up. Really I think to me, has the chance to have an outstanding year for the Clemson Tigers,” Herbstreit told partner Rece Davis.
“I think that’s probably the most impressive thing is when he was going through his struggles, Dabo Swinney said, ‘Hey man, you’re our guy.’”
Advertisement
The stage is set
“This is early in his career, his first year as a starter. He had all that hype, all the expectations. As people were expecting him to just walk in and be a Trevor Lawrence-type of quarterback and he had struggles,” Herbstreit continued. “I think he internalized some of that, dealt with it, fought through the adversity and now in the backend he’s a seasoned veteran going into his final campaign.”
“I think he’s in a position with the players they have around him again to have a great start. I think it’s exciting to have him and Garrett Nussmeier playing each other as experienced guys with big, big expectations going head-to-head in Week 1.”
Advertisement
Klubnik is coming off a season in which he led Clemson to a 10-3 record and ACC Championship prior to the team’s 38-24 loss to Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Last year’s numbers were by far the best of his career — throwing for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions — putting him in the conversation with some of the most productive Tigers quarterbacks in school history like Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence and Tajh Boyd.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.