Cade Klubnik has received no shortage of offseason hype.

The senior quarterback has been mentioned as a Heisman favorite since Texas ended the Tigers’ season in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Despite that loss, Klubnik carved up a Longhorns’ secondary that was ranked among the nation’s best pass defenses, which is just one reason among many why so many are so high on the veteran signal caller.

Klubnik’s numbers from last year stack up against almost any quarterback in the country. He took a major step forward after having an up-and-down season in his first year as the full-time starter in 2023. Klubnik finished his junior campaign passing for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He also hit on 63% of his throws.

However, many inside the facility are adamant Klubnik still has another step he can take, including Dabo Swinney.

“Last year, everybody said, ‘I need to get rid of Cade Klubnik,’ ‘We’re never going to win with Cade Klubnik,’ ‘He’s terrible,’ ‘Swinney’s crazy’ and ‘Go get this hot-shot quarterback,'” the head coach said after the spring game. “Now, everybody says he’s the front-runner for the Heisman. It’s amazing.”

On top of the individual expectations for Klubnik, Clemson has its sights set on competing for a national title. While the Tigers did make it back to the playoff last season after a three-year absence, the program has not won a playoff contest since the 2019 season, and the fan base is starved for a return to national prominence.

For that to happen, it all starts with Klubnik, and it won’t take long to see exactly how the Tigers measure up with LSU coming to town to kick off the season.

Clemson lost all three of its matchups against SEC opponents last season and has dropped five of its last seven games against SEC teams overall. While the Tigers certainly don’t need to beat the Bayou Bengals to make it back to the playoff, it’s a game they need in order to change some of the national perceptions. Lose it, and the same old tired narratives will ramp up.

Standing on the opposing sidelines will be another Heisman hopeful in Garrett Nussmeier, who threw for 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. So, Klubnik will have a chance to outshine another Heisman candidate, as well as beat him head-to-head.

Opening against that caliber of opponent, and from the SEC no less, provides Klubnik the perfect opportunity to put the nation on notice. Not only from the standpoint that this Clemson team just might be for real, but also that he is more than just a paper Heisman candidate.

“I told Cade, ‘Better not listen to none of that. Don’t listen to all that crap last year that you ain’t good enough to get it done, and don’t listen to when they tell you you’re the Heisman guy, or you’re the whatever,'” Swinney also said. “Just do the work.”