What a difference a year has made for Cade Klubnik.

Coming off a sophomore campaign that was littered with inconsistency, many were questioning Klubnik’s ability to lead the Clemson offense. One person who remained steadfast in his belief was his head coach, Dabo Swinney.

In the lead-up to the 2024 campaign, Swinney maintained that Klubnik was the right man for the job.

“If you’re made of the right stuff and have the right type of talent, work ethic, will to improve, you’re going to get better,” the head coach said. “He’s got all that.”

Last season, Klubnik proved Swinney right. He was rather quietly one of the most consistent signal callers in the country, throwing for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also rushed for 463 yards and another seven scores. He improved in passing yards, completions, completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns and interceptions. One of his big improvements came with his ball security. He threw just six picks last year, while losing only one fumble.

And arguably his best performance came in the first-round playoff loss to Texas. Klubnik sliced up the Longhorns’ defense, passing for 336 yards and three touchdowns, the most of any quarterback last season.

However, as good as Klubnik was in leading the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff last year, the hardest part of his collegiate journey still lies ahead. With what Clemson has returning on offense, and with Klubnik having the type of season he had a season ago, expectations have reached a fever pitch. More will be expected in his final season.

All offseason, Klubnik’s name has been tossed out there as one of the favorites to win the Heisman, something no Clemson player has ever done. Many pundits are also predicting the Tigers to not only make it back to the playoff in 2025 but also make some noise once they are there. ESPN actually ranks the Tigers No. 2 in their post-spring Top 25.

Klubnik’s growth as a starting quarterback at a premier school like Clemson has taken many twists and turns. There have been peaks and valleys. And he’s handled it like a champ.

Now, the final chapter of that growth has begun, and Swinney fully believes there is still another step he can take. Part of that will depend upon how Klubnik handles the enormous expectations. But if he does indeed hit another gear, the sky is the limit for this Clemson team, and Klubnik will experience far more peaks than valleys in 2025.

“Last year, everybody said, ‘We need to get rid of Cade Klubnik and we are never going to win with Cade Klubnik. He is terrible and Swinney is crazy, and he needs to go get this hotshot quarterback,’” Swinney said. “Now, everyone says he is the frontrunner for the Heisman. It is amazing.”