Clemson's impact 2025 Tigers in the passing game according to PFF

Tyler Brown returns to the mix after a redshirt due to injury last season.

Brandon Rink · Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer · 1 day ago

Diving further into the key returners for Clemson football’s high hopes in the 2025 season with the help of Pro Football Focus.

Here are the standouts back in Clemson’s passing game.

QB Cade Klubnik - 2024 Passing Game PFF grade: 87.7

Clemson’s passing game had a consistent downfield element last year for the first time in a while, and that propelled Klubnik to being the nation’s top returner in PFF passing grade.

Per ESPN, Klubnik had the most touchdown passes of 20+ yards last season (16), averaging 16.6 yards per attempt on deep throws overall.

PFF’s Max Chadwick lauded his improvement from the 2023 to 2024 seasons.

"There might not have been a more improved quarterback in college football this past season than Klubnik," said PFF's Max Chadwick. "After placing 102nd among FBS signal-callers in 2023 with a 63.9 PFF passing grade, he ranked fifth in 2024 with an 87.7 mark. Only Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders threw more touchdowns than the junior (36), and those two are projected top-five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Klubnik also ranked fifth in big-time throws (28).”

With 30 more dropbacks, Klubnik had five fewer turnover-worthy plays from 2023 to 2024 (18 down to 13), dropping the rate by a percentage point (3.3 to 2.3). He doubled the number of big-time throws from the 14 in 2023.

With Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore largely sidelined, Klubnik suffered his worst PFF grade last year in the opener with Georgia (62.9), but in the remaining 13 games, Klubnik averaged 7.6 yards per pass with 36 touchdowns to five interceptions and four games with 80+ PFF passing grades, including at Texas in the CFP (80.3) with 336 passing yards and three touchdowns to one interception in the comeback that fell short (which had five big-time throws).

With a similar pressured-dropback ratio to 2023, Klubnik improved his grade on passes under pressure by nearly 40 points (38.4 grade in 2023; 77.8 grade in 2024). With the pocket deemed clean, Klubnik had an 87.5 grade last year compared to 76.1 in 2023.

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WR Antonio Williams - 2024 Passing Game PFF grade: 72.6

CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson projected Williams to go No. 10 overall in next year’s NFL draft, crediting his versatility.

"Williams was targeted 103 times in '24, and while he had eight drops, he consistently wins off the line of scrimmage vs. physical corners, can get open at all three levels and has legit separation ability. He can play outside, in the slot and has punt-return ability," Wilson said.

The rising redshirt junior caught 75% of that high-target count for 908 yards last season, which mirrored the catch rate in his previous healthy season in 2022 (74.7) but he upped his yards per catch (10.8 to 12.1).

Williams placed in the 94th percentile in separation rate against single coverage while also catching 58% of his contested targets in 2024 (PFF).

WR Bryant Wesco - 2024 Passing Game PFF grade: 71.5

Wesco’s debut season saw him top the 100-yard mark three times (App. State - 130; Stanford - 104; SMU - 142). His catch rate didn’t get near Williams’ threshold (55.4%) but he led the Tigers in yards per catch (17.1; min. 10 catches).

"Wesco’s 707 receiving yards in 2024 trailed only Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams among true freshmen wideouts, while his 2.21 yards per route run ranked fifth and led the Tigers. He showed off his upside most in Clemson’s ACC Championship win over SMU, against whom he caught eight passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns,” PFF’s Chadwick said.

Wesco finished the season as a top target for Klubnik with double-digit targets in the final three games and no drops, totaling 16 catches for 239 yards and two scores.

WR Tristan Smith - 2024 Passing Game PFF grade: 71.5

PFF has data for the FCS level as well, and Clemson plucked a playmaker out of the transfer portal. The 6-5 target forced 15 missed tackles and tied for a team-best 132 targets his way, averaging 12.3 yards per catch. He finished with 76 catches for 934 yards and six scores.

Smith starred in the spring game with a game-high four catches for 107 yards and a touchdown, including a 72-yarder.

Tristan Smith is having himself a day.

Here’s the sequence of his touchdown, along with another insane catch.

Clemson snagged a good one in the portal. @ClemsonTigerNet pic.twitter.com/zK5nIfAcWo
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) April 5, 2025

WR TJ Moore - 2024 Passing Game PFF grade: 68.4

Moore’s final impression left from the 2024 season brings plenty of excitement for his sophomore campaign, totaling nine catches in 11 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown versus the nation’s top-rated secondary in Texas.

He didn’t have as many prolific outings as his freshman counterpart Wesco, but Moore matched the touchdown total (5) and posted a more successful catch rate (63.4%).

In that same final three-game sample size, Moore tallied 212 receiving yards in 18 catches with two drops.

WR Tyler Brown

Brown redshirted last season due to injury, but he was second among Tiger wide receivers in PFF grade here in 2023 (70) with six missed tackles forced and just three drops in 68 targets his way (76.5% catch rate).