Former Georgia quarterback and ESPN analyst David Pollack has taken to his show on YouTube, “David Pollack on College Football” and has come out with his early Top 5 teams going into the 2025 season.
Pollack opined the Clemson Tigers are deserving of the No. 4 spot in the rankings. This is the highest projection by any of the college football analysts who have revealed their rankings to this point.
His Top 5 were Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson and Penn State.
The main reason Pollack likes the Tigers is because of senior quarterback Cade Klubnik, whom he calls one of the best quarterbacks returning in the country.
“I saw enough from Klubnik to say he’s gonna be in the Heisman Trophy discussion next year,” Pollack said.“Like, his top three receivers are back. Their offensive line was not elite, was not great by any stretch.”
In 2024, Klubnik was sensational. He threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He also scrambled and ran for an additional 463 yards. He added seven touchdowns on the ground. In the process, Klubnik directed Clemson to an ACC Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Clemson only made the ACC Championship Game due to Miami losing its season finale at Syracuse, which opened the door for Clemson. Due to Clemson winning the ACC, the Tigers received an automatic bid into the CFP.
Pollack thinks Klubnik will be the best quarterback in the ACC, but the recently transferred Carson Beck, who enrolled at Miami, will have something to say on the matter.
Klubnik can definitely take a step forward and help the Tigers compete again for the ACC title. But it’s a little early to take out the anointing oil and saying he is Heisman-worthy.
Pollack credits the success of head coach Dabo Swinney and his “stick to your guns” mentality when it comes to exhausting the transfer portal in bringing in new players for one or two seasons. Although Swinney did dabble in the portal this season for defensive players, he strives to recruit and develop players out of high school and it continues to pay dividends.
Swinney, who also promotes from within, went outside the Clemson family to bring in former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who he hopes will improve the Tigers’ defense to the heyday under former coordinator Brent Venables. The Clemson defense has not been the same since he took over at Oklahoma.
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