A couple of Clemson stars were named to this national outlet’s preseason All-American team entering the 2025 college football season.

To no surprise, Clemson rising senior quarterback Cade Klubnik made the Pro Football Focus (PFF) 2025 Preseason All-American Team.

Klubnik heads into the upcoming campaign as a Heisman Trophy candidate following his breakout 2024 season, when he completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with six interceptions, while rushing for 463 yards and seven more scores on the ground.

“There might not have been a more improved quarterback in college football than Klubnik this past season,” PFF’s Max Chadwick wrote. “After placing 102nd among FBS signal-callers in 2023 with a 63.9 passing grade, he was fifth in 2024 with an 87.7 mark. Only Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders threw more touchdowns than the junior (36) and those two are projected top-five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Klubnik was also fifth among all quarterbacks in America with 28 big-time throws.

“The former top quarterback recruit in the 2022 high school class is finally starting to live up to the hype and has the potential to take a loaded Clemson roster to the promised land as a senior.”

A former five-star prospect from Texas, Klubnik was one of two quarterbacks in the country to throw for more than 3,500 yards and run for 400 last season. Klubnik also finished second nationally in total touchdowns with 43. He was third nationally in touchdown passes with 36, and his six interceptions were second fewest among quarterbacks who threw 28 or more touchdown passes in 2024.

Klubnik’s performance last season guided the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. He also led Clemson to another ACC Championship, while he earned his second MVP award in the title game, becoming only the third player ever to win multiple ACC Championship Game MVP honors.

Meanwhile, Clemson rising junior defensive lineman Peter Woods also earned PFF Preseason All-American Team honors.

As a sophomore last season, Woods split time between defensive tackle and defensive end, recording 32 tackles (8.5 for loss), 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble in 391 defensive snaps over 11 games (10 starts).

“Woods spent the majority of his sophomore year playing out of position at edge defender and still earned an 83.3 PFF grade on the season,” Chadwick wrote. “Over his first two seasons of college football, he’s both the highest-graded and most valuable returning Power Four defensive tackle, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.

“Woods leads that same group with an 89.7 run-defense grade and a 14.9% pass-rush win rate since 2023. His power and agility at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds make him a nightmare for any offensive lineman.”

After coming to Clemson as ESPN’s No. 4 overall prospect for the 2023 recruiting class, Woods earned freshman All-American honors in 2023, when the former five-star prospect posted 27 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a forced fumble in 307 snaps over 12 games (two starts), to go along with 10 quarterback pressures, the most of any Clemson defensive tackle.

Woods was named by PFF as the No. 1 returning interior defensive lineman entering the 2025 season, while Klubnik was named by PFF as the top returning quarterback heading into the upcoming season.

Klubnik, Woods and the Clemson Tigers open the 2025 campaign against the LSU Tigers at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30.