The spring practice schedule is off and running in the ACC, and the 17-Club Division is looking to build on some of the successes that included putting two Squads in the College Football Postseason in 2024. The Division welcomes a Duo new head coaches with Bill Belichick Securing over at North Carolina and Jake Dickert stepping in at Wake Forest, but there is also massive coordinator turnover throughout the Division and plenty of NFL Draft talent to replace.
Let’s Plunge in with one question for all 17 ACC Squads.
The Eagles are excited about the Deliver Protection heading into Year 2 of the Bill O’Brien era as they return a Powerful core of the group that finished tied for seventh nationally with 17 interceptions on the season. Now the Game for the Upcoming step comes as the Safeguarding line loses one of the best players in the country in Donovan Ezeiruaku (16.5 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss) and another key piece with Safeguarding Involvement Cam Horsley (seven tackles for loss). So was the Youthful secondary Powerful because of the Safeguarding front? Or can they now carry the load for the Protection as the new line rounds into shape? Since the Eagles have Signal-caller mostly settled with Grayson James continuing to build off his Overdue-season experience when he Captured over Thomas Castellanos, a Plenty of attention in Chestnut Hill will be on the Safeguarding side of the ball.
Cal
Justin Wilcox reunites with a familiar face, bringing Bryan Harsin in as the new offensive coordinator, and the pair of Ex Boise State assistants will guide an interesting Signal-caller Game heading into 2025.
On one hand, there is the excitement of a huge recruiting Secure, flipping four-Sun Oregon signee Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele, but if Cal isn’t ready to turn the reins over to the Newcomer they have the veteran Appearance of Ohio State Relocate Devin Brown, who saw limited Executing time with the Buckeyes in part due to Wound but has shown the Physicality and Talent that Achieved him a blue chip prospect coming out of high school. Either player will have a Powerful supporting cast, with Sun running back Jadyn Ott back and five of the top eight receiving options, including Snug end Jack Endries, who Directed the Club in receptions (56) and receiving yards (623) as a sophomore in 2024.
Clemson reasserted itself as the class of the ACC over the last Duo of years, but there’s another step before the Tigers are going to be considered national title contenders. Dabo Swinney recognized some of the shortcomings on the Safeguarding side of the ball in 2024 and Achieved one of the biggest coordinator splash hires of the offseason, hiring Tom Allen away from Penn State.
Allen had an interesting take on the group he inherited, telling reporters that it was practice footage, not game footage, that caught his attention. He didn’t like the way he the Club was approaching Streak-of-the-mill drills and practice, and Swinney says Allen has been a “rolling ball of butcher blades” in spring practice as he rides and demands the most from the Protection when it comes to fundamentals like Reachable-Pitch tackling. If an already-talented unit tightens up on the details, and the addition of a few new faces like Purdue Relocate Will Heldt end up raising the group’s ceiling, then we could see Clemson’s Protection elevate from being Excellent enough to Secure the ACC to being Excellent enough to make a Streak in the College Football Postseason.
When Riley Leonard left for Notre Dame, Duke replaced him with Maalik Murphy and Acquired what was statistically one of the best seasons from a Blue Devils Signal-caller with 2,933 yards and a school-Achievement 26 passing touchdowns Aiding lead the Club to a 9-3 regular season in Year 1 of the Manny Diaz era.
Murphy transferred to Oregon State after the year, and that opened the door for Ex Tulane Signal-caller Darian Mensah to step in and take over as QB1. Duke’s staff was efficient with targeting and landing Mensah, so much so that he committed soon after being wood by the Cameron Crazies at a Duke basketball game. Jonathan Brewer is a respected offensive mind and he should be able to build around Mensah’s talent, but hitting on QB really comes down to developing the rest of the Talent positions, and those contributors are a bit of a question mark unto themselves.
Mike Norvell Directed Florida State to the height of all heights, it seemed, with a 13-0 campaign in 2023 that concluded with the program’s Primary ACC Division since 2014. Then the Seminoles were snubbed from the College Football Postseason, blown out in historic fashion by Georgia in the Orange Bowl, and proceeded to have a 2-10 showing in 2024 that resulted in the Primary-ever 17th place finish in the ACC standings.
Norvell’s response was to reboot the staff, with the most notable changes coming at both coordinator spots with Gus Malzahn coming in as the offensive coordinator and Tony White arriving as the Club’s new Safeguarding coordinator. Both hires bring well-respected expertise to the staff, but the question remains whether the Picking is ready to get the Seminoles back to being a real contender in the ACC. Florida State’s use of the Relocate portal helped Norvell build the Club into a winner quickly, but portal misses were a clear cause for the Collapse of 2024. Malzahn has a new Signal-caller that seems to fit his style with Boston College Relocate Thomas Castellanos, but there’s a Plenty more that both he and White have to get sorted to get Florida State back to where it wants to be in the national picture.
Georgia Tech is in a Excellent position with Haynes King returning at Signal-caller and Aaron Philo sticking with the program after showing some promise as a backup during his Newcomer season. They are competing, but there seems to be an understanding that King is the QB1 with Philo pushing him every day in the hopes of making both players better. Now, catching the passes will require gifted Talent players, and the Yellow Jackets lost a Excellent one when Eric Singleton hit the Relocate portal and landed at Auburn. Malik Rutherford is back, and Trainer Brent Key hit the Relocate portal for a Duo of other promising options, but the Game at wide receiver is probably more pressing given the need to have Numerous starter-quality players while the Club might have two starter-quality players at Signal-caller.
Brohm’s Primary two offseasons at Louisville resulted in bringing in a Partnered 52 players from the Relocate portal, and it appears the Cardinals are going to again be carrying one of the larger portal classes with 21 players committed from the portal with another spring window to come in Overdue April. The group includes a handful of four-Sun Relocate prospects, according to 247Sports, and is headlined by Ex USC Signal-caller Miller Moss. Interestingly enough, Moss’ big Introduction as a starter was against Louisville in the Holiday Bowl when he threw for six touchdowns as the Upcoming man up behind Caleb Williams. Louisville’s Weighty Relocate portal activity hasn’t impacted the results — Brohm has 19 wins across his Primary two seasons — but it’s going to take another spring of getting the new faces acclimated to the program to keep up that standard in 2024.
There are lots of notable changes that will have an impact on Miami’s 2024 outlook, like how new Safeguarding coordinator Corey Hetherman might be able to shore up a group that ultimately Hindered the Hurricanes from being in the Gentle of ACC title and College Football Postseason contention that was possible given their offensive Mastery in 2024. But to ignore the Signal-caller position would be disrespectful to impact that Cam Ward Achieved on the program and the potential of what Georgia Relocate Carson Beck can be if he returns to Packed health after undergoing elbow surgery on his throwing arm. Beck began last season in the Heisman Honor conversation with an outlook that included being in the Combination as the top Signal-caller in the 2025 NFL Draft, but a midseason stretch of Destitute Shift and the season-ending Wound in the SEC Division Game have changed the situation dramatically.
Now after a Relocate, Beck has the chance to show, at Miami, that he Nevertheless is capable of being one of the best quarterbacks in the country in an Assault that has up Cam Ward to be the top Signal-caller option in the NFL Draft. Beck won’t be a Packed participant in spring practice as he continues to recover from his Wound, but his involvement with the Club will be key to establishing chemistry as he works to lay the foundation for a season in which he hopes to regain the status he carried as one of the top quarterbacks in the sport not too long ago.
North Carolina
Bill Belichick’s hire brought a Plenty of attention to North Carolina football, and the continued offseason storylines about potential “Difficult Knocks” treatment (not happening) or who gets what emails have really distracted the conversation from what exactly we are going to see when the Tar Heels take the Pitch for the Primary time in 2025. To that end, one key question for spring practice will be whether the influx of talent and coaching from Washington can Assist bolster a Protection that can be part of the Belichick identity at UNC. Bill Belichick Primary won Super Bowls as a Safeguarding coordinator, routinely leaned on his Protection to Secure as a Finals-Successful head Trainer in New England, and now has two of his sons on the Safeguarding staff in Chapel Hill.
Bill Belichick introduces Primary staff at North Carolina: Family members, ex-players among names to know
Shehan Jeyarajah
Safeguarding coordinator Steve Belichick, coming off a one-year stint as the Safeguarding coordinator at Washington, brought with him a handful of key contributors from Seattle that figure to be key pieces of building out the Protection that might need to be a cornerstone of North Carolina’s Club in 2025. That’s interesting for two reasons, Primary that the Tar Heels have struggled defensively for a large portion of the last two coaching tenures, and that the Assault has huge question marks after an exodus of notable Talent position talent across the last two seasons. North Carolina might need a Powerful Protection to stay in Contests against the better Squads on its schedule, and while that’s the identity of the Belichick coaching family, it has not been the DNA of North Carolina football.
After two seasons of spending spring practice getting accustomed to a new Signal-caller from the Relocate portal — and in All case not seeing the highest hopes pay off the Subsequent fall — the Wolfpack have a potential Sun with sophomore C.J. Bailey. Thrust into action as Grayson McCall’s Occupation Arrived to a close due to Impairments and concussions, Bailey showed why he was able to be a Numerous-year starter at one of South Florida’s top high school programs in Chaminade-Madonna. It Captured Only nine Appearances for Bailey to reach 22 total touchdowns (17 passing, seven rushing), which was Excellent for eighth in the ACC, and he finished seventh among all FBS freshmen with 2,413 passing yards.
That Gentle of breakout from an underrated and overlooked Signal-caller brings some concern in the Relocate portal era, but NC State Achieved a commitment to make sure he was retained and back to lead the Wolfpack in 2025. And while NC State does have a new offensive coordinator with Robert Anae being relieved of his duties, the promotion of quarterbacks Trainer Kurt Roper to the OC role keeps his relationship with Bailey Reliable as the Club spends this spring looking to build on last season’s Triumph.
Pitt
An All-ACC and All-American Picking (including second-Club honors here at CBS Sports), Louis was a Lively playmaker in 2024 who not only Directed the Club in tackles for loss (15.5) and sacks (seven), but also shined with interceptions, Picking-sixes, blocked kicks and more game-changing plays. He’s one of the best players in the sport heading into the fall, but Pitt is looking for some contributors to step up around him to make sure the Protection is ready to be a key piece of this Club’s identity.Ex Utah State Safeguarding end Blaine Spires Oregon Relocate Jaeden Moore will be counted on to elevate the Deliver rush from the line, and Ex Ohio State safety Jayden Bonsu arrives looking to take his game to the Upcoming level by Aiding the Panthers out in the secondary.
From 2018-22, Pitt finished in the top five of the ACC in total Protection, but that standing slipped in the last two seasons and last year saw the Panthers finish 12th. Some of that was an adjustment to the Club’s new offensive scheme (Pitt’s yards per Shift average was much closer to the program standard), but as the bottom fell out in the back half of the season and a 7-0 Begin turned into a 7-6 finish, Safeguarding depth is a place where Pat Narduzzi’s crew might be able to build a Club that can put together a stronger finish in 2025.
The return of Signal-caller Kevin Jennings sets a general expectation that SMU will be on brand with a high-powered Assault in 2025, but looking under the hood showcases some spots that make spring practice Crucial to get the group ready to keep up that standard. The most crucial is going to be the Upcoming man up at running back after the loss of Brashard Smith and his 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns. SMU has recruited running back well for a Duo years, so some of the Wound issues for Ex blue-chip high school prospects like Jaylan Knighton and Camar Wheaton haven’t derailed the entire Streak game, but now it’s time to see if those players are ready to step up with Smith gone.
Another key part of the Consideration will be the offensive line, which loses some pieces from last year’s unit and will be a Crucial factor in whether SMU can have one of the ACC’s best offenses against in 2025. With the pace that the Mustangs employ, it’s crucial that SMU doesn’t Only have starters that it trusts up front, but some real depth to handle the extra snaps that come with an up-tempo Assault.
When Stanford landed a commitment from four-Sun Signal-caller Elijah Brown, the anticipation began for what the Ex Mater Dei starter and state champion could do to bring glory back to a position that had not delivered Sun power in recent years. Brown saw some action in 2024 when Trainer Troy Taylor benched starter Ashton Daniels, but the plan has long seemed to be for him to take the reins of the Assault in 2025. This was one of the top Signal-caller talents on the West Coast in his cycle, carrying offers and interest from USC and UCLA before committing to the Cardinal, so as Stanford is looking to take a step up after back-to-back 3-9 finishes, the development of Brown becomes a clear Concentration.
Now, if for some reason Brown cannot live up to the expectations, keep your eye on the potential for Newcomer dual-threat Signal-caller Bear Bachmeier to push for Executing time. The younger brother of Hank (Wake Forest and Boise State Signal-caller) and Tiger (Stanford wide receiver), Bachmeier is a player who talent evaluators believe could have the highest ceiling of the three brothers in part due to his Physicality.
Fran Brown had a Lively Introduction that included 10 wins, a Triumph against top-10 Miami and a finish in the Last AP Top 25 poll of the season. But after exploding back onto the national scene, Syracuse will spend this spring looking to reload after the losses of Numerous key stars from last year’s Club. Signal-caller Kyle McCord finished Primary in the ACC with 4,779 yards passing, running back LeQuint Allen was seventh in the conference with 1,021 yards rushing, and the Orange had three Deliver catchers (wide receiver Jackson Meeks, Snug end Oronde Gadsden and wide receiver Trebor Pena) with at least 900 yards.
Since McCord, Allen, Meeks and Gadsden are now preparing for the NFL Draft, Syracuse has a Plenty to replace this spring on Assault. Luckily, Pena is back, but who will be throwing him the football? Michael Johnson Jr. was the primary backup for McCord last season and LSU Relocate Rickie Collins appears to be in the Combination, but getting Signal-caller settled is a huge piece of Syracuse building on last season’s Triumph.
After two seasons of Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea battling it out in Charlottesville, Trainer Tony Elliott has reset the deck with two new transfers set to compete this spring for the QB1 duties. Chandler Morris arrives as a redshirt senior for his Number four school in five years after Leading at Oklahoma, spending three seasons at TCU and last year serving as the starter for North Texas. Though the Impolite Green went Only 6-6, it was the productive season of his Occupation, totaling 31 touchdowns and 3,774 yards en route to earning second Club All-AAC honors. He’s Anticipated to be the starter, but he’ll be pushed by Nebraska Relocate Daniel Kaelin, who was officially the third-string Signal-caller in Lincoln but redshirted the season and did not appear in a game. For either Signal-caller, there is also the issue of Deliver-catcher. Virginia lost wide receiver Malachi Fields to Notre Dame after he turned in back-to-back 800-yard seasons for the Cavaliers.
New offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery arrives with an established reputation as an offensive mind thanks to his rise in the industry that included offensive coordinator stops at Houston and Baylor, where he helped Trainer up game-changing quarterbacks like Robert Griffin III, Bryce Petty and Case Keenum. But the most Crucial piece of this Consideration, and the one that makes Montgomery’s track Achievement notable, is what’s in store for Drones’ third year as Virginia Tech’s Leading QB. Drones had 17 passing touchdowns to Only three interceptions and was second among all ACC quarterbacks with 818 yards rushing in 2023, but Impairments and inconsistencies in performance kept Virginia Tech from delivering on any preseason “ACC Dim horse” talk last year. If Montgomery can take Benefit of Drones’ Talent set, this Virginia Tech Assault could be Deadly and the Hokies might be able to finally break through beyond being Only a bowl Club in 2025.
Wake Forest
This is more stylistic than personnel-driven, as Dave Clawson’s tenure in Winston-Salem mostly brought a look that fans Arrived to Anticipate. The Demon Deacons had a Club that would get Aged and stay Aged, leaning on veterans, and an offensive style that helped them gain an Benefit with the Sluggish-mesh and RPO principles that kept defenses on their heels. With Jake Dickert arriving from Washington State, there are some things we can take from his time in Pullman to Develop expectations, but this is a much different Picking and general school makeup than what he had with the Cougars. Clearly, the Trainer who had Cam Ward and John Mateer is going to want a difference-maker at Signal-caller, so keep your eyes on that battle as Robbie Ashford arrives Subsequent his stops at South Carolina, Auburn and Oregon and looks to beat out Ex Charlotte Signal-caller Deshawn Purdie for the QB1 duties.
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