Gorney's predictions: Jackson Cantwell, Drew Allar, Clemson winning it all

Yahoo

10-05-2025

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney has three predictions on Drew Allar's draft status, Clemson's upbeat expectations and five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell.
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1. DREW ALLAR WILL BE FIRST QB DRAFTED
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Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice released his top 25 Big Board for the 2026 NFL Draft and he did not have Penn State quarterback Drew Allar included. Four quarterbacks made the list in Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson's Cade Klubnik.
No Arch Manning. But also no Allar and that seems like a missed opportunity. Allar was a four-star prospect for Rivals but should have been higher because he had such a great arm coming out of high school and has become one of the best college quarterbacks even without a huge supporting cast.
Remember, in Penn State's 23-20 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal, no Nittany Lions receiver had a catch. Allar, who did throw a bad interception to give the Irish the win, was not working with Ohio State's receiving corps. Maybe not even Ohio's.
But he's made it work. Allar completed more than 66 percent of his passes last season for more than 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns. He led Penn State to the Final Four of College Football. His receiving corps mainly through the portal will be much better this year and Penn State could be the No. 1 team in preseason polls.
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Allar is trending up and that should only continue through the pre-draft process.
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2. CLEMSON WILL WIN THE NATTY
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Over the last decade, the only teams to win multiple national championships are Alabama, Georgia and Clemson. The Tigers haven't won one since 2018 and some argue that the program has taken a step back.
Let's see if that talk sustains after 2025.
Former five-stars Cade Klubnik and defensive tackle Peter Woods look like first-round locks for the NFL Draft. TJ Parker, who was a fringe five-star prospect, could end up going in the first as well, especially if he continues to play so well.
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The Tigers have an elite quarterback, super talented receivers, a solid offensive line and then the front seven might be the best in the country. Clemson is just absolutely loaded on the defensive line and at linebacker.
Some key transfer additions on defense including Purdue's Will Heldt and Alabama's Jeremiah Alexander, another former five-star who hasn't lived up to expectations yet, could have dominant seasons as well.
Another national championship is within striking distance and the Tigers should be the favorite. If that happens, Clemson would be the only team with three in the last decade. Clemson falling off? The Tigers never left.
MORE CLEMSON: Commitment list for 2026 class
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3. CANTWELL IS HEADED TO THE DAWGS
On Thursday, there was a coordinated effort by former Miami stars including Bryant McKinnie to contact five-star Jackson Cantwell on social media and tell him about playing for the Hurricanes. Cantwell, in pure Midwest form, responded to each gracefully and thanked them for hitting him up.
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The Nixa, Mo., standout will make his announcement on Tuesday. Cantwell, ranked atop the 2026 Rivals250, is also coming off an excellent visit back to Oregon as the Ducks try to get some recruiting momentum after missing out on five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and others.
But in the closing days, despite the best efforts of others, I still have Cantwell headed to Georgia.
From early in his recruitment, Cantwell and his coach have talked about them choosing the right place for his NFL development. He sees what Georgia has done, what the Bulldogs produce every year in the NFL Draft and the high expectations placed on players to win at the highest level in Athens.
That doesn't scare him off. It draws him in. And those are just some of the reasons why Georgia lands the No. 1 player.
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