ESPN analyst has Cade Klubnik leading a No. 1-ranked Clemson team

ESPN's Pete Thamel is high on Klubnik because of the track record he brings, ranking him No. 1 overall.

Brandon Rink · Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer · Wednesday, June 18 2025

All eyes are on Cade Klubnik, but he has more stars and supporting cast around him to fuel a run at the top.

That's the message from two ESPN analysts this week in College GameDay host Rece Davis and insider Pete Thamel in a podcast assessing the top QBs in the nation.

Davis has Klubnik as the No. 3 QB overall on the nation's top team.

"At No. 3, I'm going to go with the quarterback for my preseason No. 1 team in the country, Cade Klubnik," Davis said, who has been an AP Top 25 voter. "The one thing I want to see from Klubnik is to throw the ball down the field a little bit more. And I think they're going to be able to do that with the improvements that they've made at receiver. Now, he put up big numbers last year...Really showed up in the Playoff game against Texas. Rallied Clemson in that game and got them back in it. He's still young man. I think he's only 21 years old. Some of the guys you see that are getting into their senior year of college football, as Klubnik will be, are a little bit older.

"And I think because of his recruiting story and the expectations were high -- and I will admit that I was one of the guys going for a couple years (that) 'I'm not sure I see it' -- I have a little skepticism. Not going to lie. A little skepticism, but I'm banking on physical maturity, growing into the body, maybe a hint of arm strength here and there. We know he can run. We know he's a competitor. Tone down some of that recklessness."

Thamel is higher on Klubnik because of the track record he brings, ranking him No. 1 overall.

"It's for the very reason that I don't have Arch Manning on the list, it is production," Thamel said. "Production. Production. Production. He has consistently produced. He has consistently improved...I would love to be at Clemson to see LSU roll in there. What a game. The amount of NFL talent on that field on both sides of the ball is going to be amazing. I think the lesson of Cade Klubnik...is that development comes at different paces...I'm a big believer in starts and development, and I think Cade Klubnik is going to ace the test this year. I think this is a high-end Clemson team that finally has a decent receiver corps. They went through like a six-year drought at that position where 'pedestrian' would be kind to say what was there to compare to what there had been. They had set the standard so high and then kinda failed to get there.

"I feel really bullish on Cade."

Klubnik improved his yards per pass attempt by over a yard from 2023 to 2024 (6.3 to 7.5) and almost doubled his number of passing touchdowns (19 to 36). He totaled just six interceptions in 486 passes last year after posting 12 INTs in 554 throws in the 2022-23 seasons.

Both Davis and Thamel have South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers in the Top 5 behind Klubnik. Davis has Louisville transfer QB Miller Moss at No. 5.