Clemson Tigers Assigned 'Who Needs a QB' Tier Ahead of Season

The Clemson Tigers have at least one clear question mark heading into the season and it happens to be at the most important position.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik arrives to talk with media at the Smart Family Media Center in Clemson, S.C., Tuesday, August 13, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

While the Clemson Tigers football team has come to the defense of their quarterback, the rest of the country needs to see it to believe it.

With the college football season kicking off on Saturday, ESPN's David Hale put together a full tier list of every team in college football. The Tigers were put into a section that some might find a bit disrespectful to the guy behind center.

Along with the LSU Tigers, Florida State Seminoles and Michigan Wolverines, Clemson landed in Tier 3. That list of teams was labeled 'who needs a quarterback anyway?'

"[The Tigers] used to cycle in superstar QBs year after year, but Swinney hit a wall after Trevor Lawrence departed," said Hale. "From 2015 through 2020, when the Tigers made the playoff each year, they had the ACC's best Total QBR (82.4) against FBS foes. In the three years since, Clemson has a Total QBR of 54.8, the lowest mark in the ACC."

The writer also shared a stat that last season, Tigers quarterbacks threw the ball deep less than any other team in the country. Usually, avoiding long passes means that the team is not very confident in their quarterback.

The man behind center for Clemson will be the same one trotted out last year, Cade Klubnik.

While DJ Uiagalelei being the one to come straight after Trevor Lawrence certainly softened the blow for Klubnik, fans are still expecting top notch quarterback play. Years of elite play from a couple of historic passers can be hard to follow up.

In his first season as the starter for the Tigers, Klubnik had 2,844 passing yards with 19 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

It wasn't the worst in the country, but it also wasn't much better than average. He'll need to perform at a higher level to earn the respect of the country as a whole.

It won't be a walk in the park, though. As much as the quarterback situation isn't as good as it used to be, the wide receiver room isn't much better.

Gone are the days of Deandre Hopkins, Mike Williams or Hunter Renfrow. That's not saying there aren't talented pass catchers on the roster, they just aren't proven.

Antonio Williams is the most productive on the roster and he has just 828 yards over two seasons. Williams, Tyler Brown and maybe even freshman T.J. Moore will need to make Klubnik's job a bit easier than it was last year.

If the offense puts it together, this team should be much higher than the third tier at the end of the season.