CLEMSON – If Clemson football is to return to prominence, quarterback Cade Klubnik must elevate his game.
Coach Dabo Swinney had immense success in the College Football Playoff era with former Clemson quarterbacks Deshaun Watson (2014-16), Kelly Bryant (2017) and Trevor Lawrence (2018-20). These quarterbacks spoiled Clemson fans with two national championships, six College Football Playoff appearances and six ACC championships.
After an inconsistent 2023, Klubnik is under pressure to deliver in 2024. He will have to drive the Tigers through an expanded ACC that includes teams with a quality quarterback returning and others who’ve bolstered the position via the transfer portal.
Here’s where Klubnik ranks among the top 10 ACC quarterbacks ahead of the 2024 season:
1. Cam Ward, Miami
The Washington State transfer joins the Hurricanes after a season in which he finished eighth in the nation in passing yards with 3,736. The senior increased his passing yards, touchdowns (23 to 25), completion percentage (.648 to .667) and lowered his interceptions (9 to 7) from his junior season.
Ward enters the 2024 season as a projected Day 1 or 2 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. One of his strengths is his ability to push the ball down the field, averaging 7.7 yards per attempt, and he has the athletic receivers in Miami to be the best quarterback in the ACC.
2. DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State
Uiagalelei returns to the ACC after spending a season with Oregon State. After struggling as a starter for two seasons at Clemson, he rebounded with the Beavers, setting career highs in passing yards (2,638) and passer rating (145.0) despite completing only 57.1% of his throws.
Uiagalelei joins FSU coach Mike Norvell and the reigning ACC champions, who flourished with last year’s ACC player of the year, Jordan Travis. Norvell is hoping the two-time transfer, who recorded a career-high 8.4 yards per attempt in 2023, can have similar success.
3. Preston Stone, SMU
Stone is coming off a 3,197-yard, 28-touchdown season during which he earned third-team all-American Athletic Conference honors. He loves the deep ball with most of his passing attempts meeting at least 20 yards last season.
On a 0-100 scale, Stone had a 91.0 passing grade last year, according to Pro Football Focus, ranking him only behind Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and finalist Bo Nix. The redshirt junior is returning from a broken leg in SMU’s regular-season finale last year, so how he returns will shape how the Mustangs do in their new conference.
4. Haynes King, Georgia Tech
A dual-threat quarterback, King led the ACC in passing touchdowns and finished second among quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns last season. The 2023 Texas A&M transfer has a turnover problem though, leading the ACC in interceptions with 16.
Entering his second year as a full-time starter, King can be more dangerous on an experienced Georgia Tech team if he limits his turnovers.
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5. Kyle McCord, Syracuse
McCord won his first 11 games as the starting quarterback at Ohio State before losing to Michigan to conclude the 2023 regular season. He joins the Orange after throwing for 3,170 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
McCord won’t have the wealth of talent around him like he had with Ohio State, but he will boost the Orange’s passing game under first-year coach Fran Brown after Syracuse recorded the fewest passing yards in the ACC with 2,223 in 2023.
6. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
In his first season as a full-time starter, Klubnik recorded 2,844 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Despite leading the conference in passing attempts and completions, he made critical errors in clutch situations and had the fewest yards per attempt (6.3) in the ACC with over 60% of his throws being nine yards or shorter.
Klubnik can improve in his junior year since he has improved skill-position players, a better offensive line and another year under offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
7. Grayson McCall, NC State
The Coastal Carolina transfer enters his sixth season in college football having thrown more than 10,000 yards with a near 70% career completion percentage. He has started in 40 games and won the Sun Belt Player of the Year three times.
McCall will be the Wolfpack’s best quarterback in years, but he is coming off a concussion that limited him to seven games last season. If he is healthy, he will provide a jolt of energy to NC State, a team that ranked 100th in the country in passing yards per game with 193.9 in 2023.
8. Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech
The Baylor transfer morphed into a capable dual-threat quarterback last season when he replaced an injured Grant Wells. Drones scored 22 touchdowns and accumulated over 3,000 total yards with only three interceptions.
The redshirt junior looks to improve his completion percentage (58.2%) while also improving as a passer. More than 60% of his passes were nine yards or shorter last season.
9. Tyler Shough, Louisville
Shough, who spent three seasons each at Oregon and Texas Tech, replaces Jack Plummer, who led Louisville to the ACC championship game. In his career, the seventh-year player has thrown for 4,625 yards for 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Shough has completed a full season only once, and it was seven games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
10. Thomas Castellanos, Boston College
Although first-year coach Bill O’Brien hasn’t named a starting quarterback, it’ll likely be Castellanos. The UCF transfer struggled as a passer in 2023, throwing for 2,248 yards with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He thrived when he scrambled. He finished third in the ACC in rushing yards (1,113) and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (13).
Castellanos will have to learn a new offense, but if O’Brien caters to the junior’s strengths, he can repeat his success in 2024.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00