ESPN’s College Football Countdown turned its attention this week to one of the most anticipated openers of the 2025 season: Clemson hosting LSU in Death Valley on August 30. Host Rece Davis sat down with analysts Roddy Jones and EJ Manuel, and the conversation quickly zeroed in on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
The junior enters the year after a record-setting 2024 campaign. Klubnik threw 36 touchdown passes, tying Tajh Boyd and Trevor Lawrence for the second-most in program history. He led all quarterbacks nationally in touchdowns with six or fewer interceptions and finished with 43 total scores, ranking sixth in school history. His 4,102 yards of offense made him just the seventh Tiger ever to surpass 4,000 in a season.
Advertisement
Manuel praised Klubnik’s growth, pointing to his resilience and improved decision-making.
“The big thing I love about Cade Klubnik is the growth that you’ve seen year over year, but also week to week,” Manuel said. “Even if you go back to last season, when they started against Georgia, he didn’t have a great game, but he came back the following week against App State and just tore them up.
“And I think part of it, too, is the confidence that has grown with his receivers. Antonio Williams is coming back, Bryant Wesco, TJ Moore – he has some guys who can make plays for him. But also, his time clock has improved so much where he knows, hey, I’m getting late in the down, let me take off and run, and then it ends up being a big run like that for a touchdown to win the game against Pitt. Or, let me just move around in the pocket and find a receiver open, that also ends up being a big gain. So, I love where Cade Klubnik is at right now.”
Jones emphasized how much the offensive line has elevated the offense, crediting the work of line coach Matt Luke.
Advertisement
“The improvement on that offensive line was significant over the course of last season,” Jones said. “They brought in Matt Luke, former Ole Miss head coach, to be the offensive line coach last year. And what Matt Luke, the way he taught that offensive line, really helped accentuate a lot of what they did in Garrett Riley’s offense, especially with their gap scheme runs. They got so much better with that, that it helped both Cade Klubnik in the run game, and the run game in general.
“So, yes, Cade Klubnik is great and all the receivers are great. But that offensive line, which brings back the bulk of its experience from a year ago, I think should be one of the best in the ACC, if not the country.”
The defensive side of the ball remains a question after Clemson allowed nearly 300 rushing yards in its playoff loss to Texas. With Tom Allen now leading the defense, the expectation is that the Tigers will regain their edge up front behind All-Americans T.J. Parker and Peter Woods.
Advertisement
“I could not agree more, and they need it,” Jones said. “This is a Clemson team that was ninth in the ACC in total defense a year ago. 16th in the ACC in rush defense, and I’m old enough to remember when the ACC didn’t have 16 teams. The fact that Clemson ended up 16th in rush defense, that’s why they needed to make a change on that side of the ball.”
Clemson, ranked No. 4, will begin its season against No. 9 LSU under the lights at Memorial Stadium on ABC.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: ESPN’s College Football Countdown previews Clemson vs. LSU Week 1
