Clemson football QB Cade Klubnik is a Heisman favorite and long shot

Odds for potential recipients of the 2023 Heisman Trophy rolled out this week with little to no surprises.

Ho hum, Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams is favored to repeat and add a second statuette to his collection to become the first player since Ohio State’s Archie Griffin in 1974-75 to be so recognized.

According to vegasinsider.com, Williams checks in at +550, which to non-gamblers such as myself essentially means that if one plunked down a successful $100 bet on Williams, the payoff would be $550.

LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Quinn Ewers of Texas are next at +1200, leading a veritable parade of quarterbacks in the preseason prognostication.

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik are both at +1600.

One must work down the list to No. 15 to find the first non-quarterback, which in this case is Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., at +3000.

Eyebrows likely weren’t raised until one read the name Klubnik – the still unproven quarterback on the cusp of embarking on his first season as Clemson’s starter.

Although quarterbacks have won eight of the last 10 Heismans, the odds aren’t in Klubnik’s favor.

Clemson, you see, doesn’t exactly have a glorious history when it comes to the Heisman. In fact, no history whatsoever.

The Heisman invariably lands in the hands of a player from Alabama or Ohio State or Notre Dame or Oklahoma, and the vast majority of Clemson fans have come to accept this, particularly after watching their two most deserving candidates – Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson – finish a distant second in the voting in 2018 and 2016, respectively.

Recent history provides another wet blanket for Clemson’s Heisman hopes. After two standout performances when filling in for COVID-sidelined Lawrence in 2020, DJ Uiagalelei was a popular Heisman choice heading into the 2021 season, listing as high as No. 3 among the favorites at +650.

Those hopes were dashed early and often as Uiagalelei wound up with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9) and finished 11th in the ACC in completion percentage and 12th in passing efficiency.

Uiagalelei actually re-entered the Heisman conversation midway through last season, but after five touchdowns and five interceptions over the next five games and a 2-for-5 start in the ACC Championship Game, DJ’s days at Clemson – and as a Heisman hopeful – were over.

So forgive Clemson fans for being a bit reserved in their preseason excitement levels for Klubnik, who appears poised for a breakout season but lacks the experience and evidence to make the fan base go “all in.”

In the meantime, former defensive standout Christian Wilkins represents the Tigers’ biggest victory to date when it comes to bronzed statuettes. Wilkins, who was the first football player in program history to graduate in 2½ years, was recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy – the “Academic Heisman” – in 2018.

Until they decide to start shunning quarterbacks and begin doling out the Heisman to defensive tackles, that will have to suffice.