Paul Finebaum Names The Best QB in College Football originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The 2025 college football season is just under two months away, with Week 0 games starting on Aug. 23. As the season approaches, several key decisions are still pending in the sport, including identifying the top quarterback for the upcoming year.
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Last season, that title was often debated among Miami Hurricanes Cam Ward, Colorado Buffaloes Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss Rebels Jaxson Dart. However, all three quarterbacks have declared for the NFL draft, paving the way for a new leader to emerge.
On “The Paul Finebaum Show,” SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum was asked who he believes is the best quarterback in college football. A caller suggested that it might be Clemson Tigers’ Cade Klubnik, to which Finebaum responded that he does not disagree with that assessment.
Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) during pregame warm-ups against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
“I think he is right now one of the two or three best,” Finebaum said. “He could be the best.”
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Klubnik had an impressive bounce-back season in 2024, throwing for a career-high 3,639 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. He also rushed for 463 yards and scored seven touchdowns.
This marked a big improvement from 2023, his first year as a starter, when he passed for 2,844 yards, 19 touchdowns and had nine interceptions. That season, he rushed for only 182 yards and four touchdowns.
Klubnik’s outstanding performance helped lead Clemson to an ACC championship and a return to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. However, the team lost to the Texas Longhorns in the first round, during which Klubnik threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns.
In his first game of the upcoming season, Klubnik will have the opportunity to make a major statement against the LSU Tigers, who are led by Garrett Nussmeier, another quarterback considered among the best in the sport. That game is at 7:30 P.M. ET on Aug. 30.
Related: David Pollack Didn’t Hesitate Naming Top Returning College Football QB
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
