This prominent college football pundit is picking Clemson’s star quarterback to take home college football’s most prestigious individual award.

Longtime college football expert Phil Steele joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and Steele told Cowherd that he believes the Tigers’ senior signal-caller, Cade Klubnik, will win the Heisman Trophy this season.

Last season, Klubnik 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.

“I picked him to win the Heisman, Colin, and I’ll tell you why,” Steele said. “You go back two years ago, he had 19 touchdowns to nine interceptions, and people are wondering about him. But coming into that season in ’23, he lost his top three receivers due to injury. Well last year, he got those injured receivers back, they added in a couple of top-notch frosh, and all of a sudden, 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

“He’s operating behind my No. 2-rated offensive line, he’s got my No. 2 set of receivers to throw to, and when I look at Clemson’s schedule, I’ve got them winning all 12 games. So I think Klubnik leads the nation in passing, leads a 12-0 team, and I believe he’s going to take home the Heisman this year.”

Klubnik was one of two quarterbacks in the country to throw for more than 3,500 yards and run for 400 last season. The former five-star prospect from Texas 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, and he put on an impressive performance against Texas in the CFP first-round game. Though the Tigers lost in Austin, 38-24, Klubnik carved up the Longhorns’ defense like nobody else did last season, throwing for 336 yards — the most by an opposing player against Texas last season — and three touchdowns.

Klubnik (+900) is currently tied with LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier for the second-best odds to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy, behind only Texas quarterback Arch Manning (+750), according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Klubnik and Clemson open the 2025 season at home on Aug. 30 against Nussmeier and LSU.

Though a Clemson player has never won the Heisman, quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence were both Heisman finalists. Watson finished third in the 2015 balloting with 148 first-place votes and second in 2016 with 269 first-place votes, while Lawrence finished second in the 2020 Heisman voting with 222 first-place votes.