Ever had a team so confident about their preparations for a season that the rivals needed to watch out for their sight? The Clemson Tigers, after a turbulent 2024 campaign, are strutting into the 2025 college football season with enough swagger to rival a peacock in a hall of mirrors. The Clemson Tigers’ 2024 season was nothing but a roller coaster ride. Finishing 10-4 and clinching the ACC Championship with a nail-biting 34–31 win over SMU, the Tigers managed to keep their fans on the edge of their seats and occasionally a little hair-pulling. Their losses against Duke and Louisville made the fans wonder if Dabo Swinney had secretly switched to coaching interpretive dance.

Entering the 2025 season, the Tigers are playing a long game that blends veteran dominance, fresh blood, and what can only be described as Swinney’s “transfer portal epiphany.” Enter Jeremiah Alexander, the defensive genius of the Alabama transfer, and just to polish that, Swinney hired Tom Allen as the new defensive coordinator, replacing Wes Goodwin. And let’s not forget Will Heldt, the towering edge rusher, and wide receiver Tristan Smith, who’s probably faster than a bullet.

With a golden arm under center in quarterback Cade Klubnik and a wizard calling plays in Garrett Riley, the Tigers are all but daring their rivals to stop them. Clemson’s preseason swagger is both data-driven and driven by returning talent far too heavy to squeeze into Death Valley once, let alone pack the house twice. In the 2024 Cade Klubnik edition, we find drama, we find thrill, and the audience finds an audition for a role in The Chaos Maestro: 3,639 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and only six interceptions.

Klubnik made sure that every single game of the 2024 season felt like an episode of Survivor: NCAA Edition. The whispers, rumors, and gossip have it that the Tigers have already written their names for victory parades, and let us tell you, no stone will be unturned by this time, as they are not only winning this time, they are going all out. The team has kicked off its spring practice with a palpable sense of renewal under the watchful eyes of Dabo Swinney and a revamped coaching staff. The team’s energy this season is undeniable, with players like Sammy Brown expected to take significant leaps.

The confident quarterback is very clear that the Tigers are not preparing for football; they are preparing for world domination. As he dropped a reel on his Instagram handle with the caption ‘No reset, just reload,’ it speaks volumes. Klubnick has made it clear that the Tigers are busy mastering the ancient art of touchdown magic, with him at the helm, orchestrating plays like a maestro. So, to all you would-be challengers out there, you must gear up as they’re bringing their A+ game with the ACC quaking in their cleats. 

Klubnik says, “We’ve got a lot of coaches that are players.” This statement clearly shows the hierarchical support that the young players are getting from the veterans, which makes the Tigers much more lethal to the 134 FBS teams. With so much going on with Klubnik’s bright future as a third-ranked nationally scoring touchdown QB, he didn’t miss the eyes of the self-anointed “Mouth of the South,” who is college football’s unofficial referee, Paul Finebaum.

Cade Klubnik: The QB to Watch?

Paul Finebaum has spent years turning heated rivalries into must-see drama. Whether he’s dissecting Alabama’s dynasty or Clemson’s “irrelevance,” his commentary is as sharp as a Nick Saban glare and twice as polarizing. In Finebaum’s endorsement of Klubnik, he has catapulted the young quarterback into the spotlight by giving him a thumbs-up, making him the man to beat in the upcoming season.

With a signature flair for drama, Finebaum, in his show, says, “I think it’s possible Cade Klubnik is the best quarterback coming back in the country.” Yes, you heard that right: Finebaum has anointed Klubnik as the quarterback to beat in 2025.

Now, putting this into perspective, Finebaum’s endorsement is not just a casual review; it’s a full-blown coronation. He specifically says that Klubnik is the type of quarterback that every other team should fear. Well, it seems like Klubnik has found a place in the good books of the sports pundit.

The other teams shall feel troubled by this news breaking out and start keeping their eyes on the Clemson Tigers’ practice field. It’s not just football anymore; it’s about the Swinney-Klubnik duo taking over college football.