In a matchup between top-ten teams, plenty of future NFL talent will be on the field when LSU battles Clemson on Aug. 30. The matchup is headlined by a clash between two potential first-round quarterbacks in LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson's Cade Klubnik. It wouldn't even be surprising to see both Tiger gunslingers get selected within the first ten picks next April.
Nussmeier and Klubnik are both experienced and proven quarterbacks who chose to come back to college football for one more season. They lead a strong quarterback draft class that also includes the likes of LaNorris Sellers, Sam Leavitt, Drew Allar, and possibly even Arch Manning.
As the 2025 college football season draws nearer, mock drafts continue to fly around. ESPN draft expert Field Yates has released his preseason [2026 mock draft](https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2026/story/_/id/46008146/2026-nfl-mock-draft-field-yates-preseason-first-round-predictions-32-picks), and he has LSU facing a total of five first-round picks in Week 1 against Clemson. That would be a record for the Clemson program.
Nussmeier is the only LSU Tiger named in Yates' first-round projection for 2026. The lack of LSU love and affinity for Clemson would make an LSU win over Dabo Swinney's squad on Aug. 30 even sweeter.
Yates hyping up Clemson's prospects
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In 2026, Yates is projecting that Clemson QB Cade Klubnik, DT Peter Woods, EDGE T.J. Parker, CB Avieon Terrell, and OT Blake Miller will all be first-round picks. He even has Klubnik and Woods slated to go as two of the first four picks.
The most first-round picks Clemson has ever had in a single NFL Draft is three, which occured in 2019. In that draft, DE Clelin Ferrell went No. 4 overall to the the Raiders, DT Christian Wilkins went No. 13 overall to the Dolphins, and DT Dexter Lawrence went No. 17 overall to the Giants.
One year later, LSU set a program record with five players being drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. QB Joe Burrow went No. 1 overall to the Bengals, DE K'Lavon Chaisson went No. 20 overall to the Jaguars, WR Justin Jefferson went No. 22 overall to the Vikings, LB Patrick Queen went No. 28 overall to the Ravens and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire went No. 32 overall to the Chiefs.
The record for most the first-round picks hailing from a single school in a single draft is six, which has been done twice. The Miami Hurricanes accomplished the feat in 2004, with the Alabama Crimson Tide doing the same in 2021.
Yates has Garrett Nussmeier going to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 16th overall selection. That is far lower than expert Todd McShay had the LSU quarterback in [his mock draft](https://deathvalleyvoice.com/prominent-nfl-draft-analyst-has-garrett-nussmeier-in-elite-lsu-company-with-latest-projection-01k2t690xtm4), which saw Nussmeier go No. 4 overall to the Jets.