The 2025 college football season is still months away, but J.D. PicKell has already seen enough to make a bold call—Clemson is headed back to the College Football Playoff. The On3 analyst ranked the Tigers as his No. 3 seed, predicting back-to-back ACC titles and another playoff berth under Dabo Swinney.
That trust lit a fire in Klubnik, who committed to proving his coach right. He blocked out outside noise, doubled down on his work ethic, and delivered a breakout junior year.
The 21-year-old Texas native’s improvement was undeniable, throwing for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2024. This led to a tough dilemma—declare for the NFL Draft or run it back. Klubnik chose Clemson, saying: