College Football Expert Ranks Clemson Tigers Quarterback Among Elite Passers

The Clemson Tigers are having a great season thanks to quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Oct 12, 2024; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) during pregame warm ups against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik entered the season with a lot of doubters.

Those doubters more than likely felt justified after seeing Clemson fall to Georgia in the season opener but since then, the Tigers have been playing pretty solid football and Klubnik has been a big part of that success.

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports began his weekly quarterback power rankings with an apology to Klubnik and gave him his due credit for what he's done this season for Dabo Swinney's Clemson team.

"I've been hard on Cade, and I don't just mean because I've rarely included him in these rankings over the last two seasons," Fornelli writes. "No, it's that I've been vocal about my thoughts on his overall play and that I believed he was one of Clemson's bigger weak spots."

Klubnik has been far from a weak spot. On the season, the Clemson quarterback has thrown for 1,528 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just two interceptions on the year.

In Fornelli's weekly quarterback power rankings, Klubnik is listed as the fourth-ranked passer on the list. He trails Miami's Cam Ward, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier.

"I've already gotten the apology out of the way, so let's focus on Klubnik posting 339 total yards and three touchdowns in Clemson's 49-14 win over Wake Forest," Fornelli writes. "I know Miami is the team getting all the attention in the ACC right now, but Clemson is already 4-0 in conference play. With Klubnik playing like this, the Tigers might be the real team to beat in the ACC."

Klubnik made a big jump from a week ago. He was not ranked in the list of the 10 top quarterbacks just last week. The Junior quarterback is listed ahead of elite quarterbacks throughout college football like Quin Ewers of the Texas Longhorns, Jalen Milroe of Alabama, and Riley Leonard of Notre Dame.

Klubnik and the Tigers take on the Virginia Cavaliers this Saturday for a chance to go 5-0 in ACC play.