Phil Steele is high on Clemson position by position

Klubnik leads what Steele calls the best QB room in the country.

David Hood · Senior Writer · Saturday, July 05 2025

According to one national magazine, Clemson has some of the top positional units in the country.

Phil Steele’s annual preview magazine is out, and in the 2025 issue, Steele ranks the position units from across the country. There are high expectations surrounding the Clemson program heading into the season, and with good reason – head coach Dabo Swinney returns a plethora of talent across the board. And, as quarterback Cade Klubnik said recently, for the first time since he arrived on campus, this is no longer a young team.

And it’s because of Klubnik that the Tigers’ quarterback room ranks as the top group in the country according to Steele.

QB – No. 1

The Tigers have Klubnik, veterans Christopher Vizzina and Trent Pearman, and freshman Chris Denson. Klubnik is entering his third season as a starter, and he hopes to build on a fantastic junior campaign.

RB – No. 31

Clemson doesn’t have a set starter heading into August camp, but our guess is that former wide receiver Adam Randall will have that honor. There are other talented players, including David Eziomume and Jay Haynes, but freshman Gideon Davidson is chomping at the bit to earn playing time.

WR – No. 2

Steele has Ohio State as his top group, and it’s hard to find fault with that. But Clemson returns Antonio Williams, T.J. Moore, Bryant Wesco, and Tyler Brown looks to rebound from an injury-plagued campaign. Add in lengthy transfer Tristan Smith and speedy veteran Cole Turner, and this is an explosive group. (Note…Steele has LSU’s group ranked at No. 3, and they come calling in the opener).

OL – No. 2

Steele has Penn State ranked as the top group, but the Tigers return what might be the most experienced offensive line in Death Valley in a long time. My projected starting five – which includes Harris Sewell at LG – has a total of 170 games under their belt. And in their second year under Matt Luke, this group will be even better.

DL – No. 2

Steele has Oklahoma as the nation’s top defensive line, but from where we sit it’s hard to argue with a starting four of Peter Woods, T.J. Parker, DeMonte Capehart (or any other of the talented defensive tackles) and transfer Will Heldt. This might be the best group we’ve seen at Clemson since 2018.

LB – No. 8

Wade Woodaz and Sammy Brown form a pretty good duo for Ben Boulware and Tom Allen. Brown fashioned a stellar freshman campaign, and Woodaz has steadily gotten better each year he’s been on campus. Now that both are getting proper coaching? The sky is the limit.

DB – No. 3

Khalil Barnes leads a talented group at safety (and the staff, as Steele points out, loves Ricardo Jones). The Tigers have Ashton Hampton and Avieon Terrell at cornerback and there are talented reserves at all the spots.