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Clemson

Phil Steele reveals Cade Klubnik is his pick to win the Heisman Trophy in 2025

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp08/13/25
Cade Klubnik
Cade Klubnik looks on during practice late Friday afternoon, day two of August Camp in Clemson. (Ken Ruinard - Imagn-Images, USA Today Network)

The time for prognostication is just about over, with college football analysts everywhere scrambling to get their final picks in. How about Cade Klubnik for Heisman?

One prominent analyst believes in it wholeheartedly. That’s Phil Steele, who produces one of the most in-depth college football preview magazines every year.

He appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Wednesday and revealed his pick when Cowherd brought up Klubnik amid a sea of other talented quarterbacks. Steele believes Klubnik is the best of the bunch.

“I picked him to win the Heisman, Colin,” Steele said. “And I’ll tell you why. You go back two years ago, he had 19 touchdowns to just nine interceptions and people were wondering about him. But coming into that season in ’23, he lost his top three receivers due to injury.”

Cade Klubnik did indeed work with a banged-up receiving corps in 2023, and things did not go particularly well. Klubnik threw for 2,844 yards, but the Tigers sputtered to a 9-4 record.

Fast forward a year and the record only marginally improved, but the outlook for Klubnik had changed markedly. He was now the unquestioned quarterback of a College Football Playoff team, just one year removed from calls for his job.

“Last year he got those injured receivers back,” Steele pointed out. “They added in a couple top-notch frosh and all the sudden 36 touchdowns, just six interceptions.”

Still, though Cade Klubnik has been projected fairly high in many NFL Draft mocks, he hasn’t necessarily been viewed as a Heisman Trophy contender by all. That might still take some convincing.

But the veteran quarterback has a lot to work with. And he’s got a schedule that sets up to do some damage.

“He’s operating behind my No. 2 rated offensive line,” Steele said. “He’s got my No. 2 set of receivers to throw to. And when I look at Clemson’s schedule, I’ve got them winning all 12 games. So I think Klubnik leads the nation in passing, leads a 12-0 team and I believe he’s going to take home the Heisman this year.”