With some of the ACC’s elite quarterbacks like Jordan Travis and Drake Maye on bye, other conference passers were able to make names for themselves. Some of the more mercurial passers in the league took advantage of the opportunity.
Despite the Panthers’ lackluster record, the Pittsburgh pass defense hadn’t really been bullied early on in 2023, surrendering just 159.5 yards per game and five touchdowns through the air in their first four games. In just his third start, Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones eviscerated them. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns, adding two more scores on the ground in a 38-21 romp. Drones earned an 89.7 QBR, his first grade above 60 for the season.
Vaunted Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik hadn’t quite lived up to the billing in the first few games of the season. He threw an interception in each of the first two games, including a blowout upset loss to Duke in Week 1. He flashed at times in an overtime loss to Florida State in Week 4, but in this weekend’s game against Syracuse, he delivered. He carved up the Orange defense for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns, his first excellent game against a Power 5 opponent this season.
Here is how the ACC’s starters shake out after Week 5.
| Name | Team | QBR | Last Week (Rank) |
| Tyler Van Dyke | Miami | 92.0 | 91.5 (1st) |
| Jordan Travis | Florida State | 86.0 | 86.5 (3rd) |
| Drake Maye | North Carolina | 86.0 | 87.3 (2nd) |
| Garrett Shrader | Syracuse | 75.6 | 82.3 (4th) |
| Riley Leonard | Duke | 72.9 | 80.1 (5th) |
| Anthony Colandrea | Virginia | 72.4 | 69.8 (8th) |
| Haynes King | Georgia Tech | 66.2 | 73.2 (7th) |
| Jack Plummer | Louisville | 65.2 | 78.6 (6th) |
| Kyron Drones | Virginia Tech | 63.9 | 46.4 (12th) |
| Cade Klubnik | Clemson | 58.8 | 46.8 (11th) |
| Thomas Castellanos | Boston College | 51.9 | 53.7 (9th) |
| Brennan Armstrong | Virginia | 41.0 | 51.8 (10th) |
| Phil Jurkovec | Pittsburgh | 37.5 | 41.5 (13th) |
| Mitch Griffis | Wake Forest | 30.7 | 33.4 (14th) |