Tag: ACC football

247Sports names Clemson not winning the ACC a potential ‘disappointment in 2023 that would shock fans’

According to 247Sports, it is ACC Championship or bust for the Tigers.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program have high expectations heading into the 2023 season, and according to 247Sports, so does everyone else. 

There has been tremendous hype surrounding the Florida State Seminoles heading into the season, with many believing they are the best team in the ACC. The thing is, Clemson, has had a stronghold on the conference, winning seven of the last eight conference championships. 

Is it the Seminoles’ time? Or will the Tigers be the top dog in the ACC once again? 

We don’t know right now, but a 247Sports article discussing potential disappointments in 2023 that would shock fans believes that Clemson not winning the ACC would be just that, a disappointment that shocks fans. Here is what writer Brad Crawford had to say about it.

What warrants disappointment: Failing to win ACC

Is Clemson’s mystique as an annual threat to win the national championship beginning to evaporate? Most of us assume Dabo Swinney made college football’s most impactful coordinator hire this cycle, landing TCU’s Garrett Riley, who was the national assistant of the year last season after helping lead the Horned Frogs to the national championship game. Clemson is the expected preseason favorite in the ACC alongside Florida State and has won at least 10 games every season since 2011, so why is there a smidge of disbelief in the Tigers?

Glancing at the two deep, this squad is loaded on the defensive side of the football with several future early-round picks returning and should be strong up front, but Clemson needs first-year starting quarterback Cade Klubnik to be the difference-maker Trevor Lawrence was offensively. Swinney’s program hasn’t reached the playoff since the 2020 season, which also marks the last time the Tigers flexed a feared playmaker at receiver. Consecutive signing classes outside of the top 10 have increased doubt on whether this program can continue its stay among annual national championship contenders and the 2023 campaign will reveal what we need to know about the Tigers in what looks like a two-team race in the ACC.

If Clemson fails in its quest to get to the final four and loses to a lesser-talented South Carolina in the regular-season finale on the road, the lack of momentum will escalate heading into 2024.

This would definitely be a disappointment for fans, but the shocking piece is the thing I don’t understand. Though analytics are on the side of the Tigers, the majority has been on Florida State as the best team in the conference.

With all of the hype around the Seminoles, I doubt it would be shocking for them to win the conference. Even so, it would be disappointing for the Tigers.

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ESPN analytics give Clemson over a 50% chance to win the ACC

ESPN’s analytics heavily favor the Tigers to win the ACC in 2023.

The 2023 college football season will be exciting, with the ACC having two teams stand above the rest as top contenders to win the conference.

During the ACC Football Kickoff on Thursday, analysts discussed the ACC Championship, who is going to win it, and what teams may surprise everyone in 2023. Along with this conversation was ESPN analytics that heavily favored Clemson for the upcoming season.

While many feel it is Florida State’s time to return to the top of the conference, ESPN’s analytics has Clemson as the heavy favorite going into the season. According to their analytics, the Tigers have a 54% chance to win the ACC in 2023. Florida State has a 24% chance, followed by UNC (7%), Pitt (4%), and Miami (3%).

Their analytics also give the Tigers a 72% chance to make the championship, with Florida State No.2 at 50%.

Obviously, these are just analytics, and they’ve been proven wrong many times before. That being said, this is still a good thing for Clemson fans.

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247Sports on Clemson’s ACC leading 2024 recruiting class

Clemson has the top 2024 recruiting class in the ACC so far.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football staff have done a great job recruiting in the 2024 class, with the Tigers currently holding the top class in the ACC so far.

Two top-tier recruits highlight Clemson’s 2024 class in linebacker Sammy Brown and wide receiver Bryant Wesco, each with the talent to be a future star for the program. The latest addition to the Tigers class was four-star cornerback Corian Gipson, who the Tigers fended off Texas for. 

Things are looking great for the Tigers right now, with 247Sports’ recent article discussing the ACC football recruiting rankings having some good things to say about the Tigers’ class. Here is what writer Chance Linton had to say about Clemson’s class.

National rank: No. 8

Total commits: 17

Headliners: 5-star LB Sammy Brown (No. 5 overall, No. 1 LB); 5-star WR Bryant Wesco (No. 9 overall, No. 3 WR); 4-star WR TJ Moore (No. 80 overall); 4-star TE Christian Bentancur (No. 99 overall)

Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff are assembling another elite class as nine of the Tigers’ 17 commits are rated as four- or five-star prospects, including seven players ranked in the Top247. That includes four players ranked among the top 100 nationally, headlined by a pair of five-stars in Brown and Wesco, who committed on back-to-back days in early June following their official visits to the campus, kicking off a big summer for the Tigers.

Another elite class sounds great, but there is still work to do for Clemson in the 2024 class. The Tigers can still climb these rankings further with the right signings.

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Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi says, ‘You gotta beat Clemson’ to get to the ACC Championship

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi had this to say about Clemson.

The 2023 ACC Football Kickoff is off to a hot start after day one. Wednesday’s day two brings different ACC teams to the media to discuss their team, the Conference, and the season ahead of them. 

The 2023 season in the ACC will look much different than any other before, with the Conference moving away from divisions and doing its first season with the 3-5-5 format. Rather than the divisional winners making the ACC Championship, it will now be the top two teams based on winning percentage to make the game. 

A major shift, Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi and his program know a bit about what it takes to make the ACC Championship, and even with the lack of divisions, you still need to get through Clemson.

“I think back to in ’21 when you go to the championship game and beat Wake Forest, you beat the reigning champion in Clemson at home and you took care of business,” Narduzzi said. “Whether you’re in the Atlantic or whether you’re in the Coastal division, pretty much you gotta beat Clemson to get there, correct? To me, we did that and won the championship. So to me, that makes it even sweeter.”

Narduzzi clearly respects the Tigers, who  won the conference title in seven of the last eight seasons. The lone winner of the last eight that wasn’t Clemson was Narduzzi and the Panthers.

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Drake Maye highlights Preseason All-ACC First Team

UNC quarterback Drake Maye highlights Pro Football Focus’ Preseason All-ACC Team. He’s projected to be the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

There’s a lot of hype around UNC quarterback Drake Maye ahead of the 2023 college football season, which starts next month with the Navy-Notre Dame “Week 0” matchup in Dublin, Ireland.

That hype around Maye is understandably so. The sophomore from Huntersville, N.C. finished fourth in passing yards (4,321) among all FBS schools, led the Heels in rushing yards (937) and, despite a horrendous defense, anchored Carolina to its first ACC Championship Game appearance since 2015.

This was all good enough for Maye to earn ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-ACC Honors.

Add one more honor to Maye’s impressive resume – Pro Football Focus’ Preseason All-ACC Team.

Maye is one of just two Tar Heels on the first team, joining top tight end Bryson Nesbit. who is UNC’s leading returning receiver with 507 receiving yards and four scores in 2022.

Outside of Nesbit, a majority of Carolina’s offense is unproven. The Heels lost Josh Downs and Antoine Green to the NFL Draft. Last year was the first time UNC didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher since 2018. Carolina’s leading returning wide receiver, J.J. Jones, collected just 434 yards and two touchdowns.

This season will be extra-important for Maye because he doesn’t have the Heels’ 2022 weapons at his disposal, plus he’ll be trying to prove he’s the best quarterback in the country and worthy of the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Some of the best professional quarterbacks made names for themselves, in part, without a loaded wide receiving corps (look at Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers).

Will Maye be able to do what all collegiate quarterbacks dream of – winning a CFP National Championship?

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PFF names the best Clemson player heading into the 2023 season

Who is the best player on the Clemson roster heading into the 2023 season?

Heading into the 2023 season, there is a ton of talent on the Clemson football roster.

On the offensive side of the ball, Will Shipley is one of the best running backs in the country, and starting quarterback Cade Klubnik is expected to take the next step under center. On the defensive side of the ball, Tyler Davis, Barrett Carter, Nate Wiggins, and a few others project to be top performers in the ACC. However, of all the Tigers, one sits above the rest. 

PFF recently released an article picking the best player on every ACC team heading into the 2023 season, with arguably the best linebacker in the country, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. earning the nod for the Tigers. Here is what writer Max Chadwick had to say about the Clemson star linebacker.

Trotter isn’t just Clemson’s best player, he’s the best linebacker in college football. He was the only Power Five linebacker in 2022 who earned 80-plus grades both as a pass-rusher and in coverage. He was second among that same group in both passer rating allowed (42.9) and open target rate allowed (47.6%). The son of former All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr., the junior is living up to his father’s name and then some.

I said, arguably, Chadwick said he is the best linebacker in the country. It is tough to argue with that! Trotter can do it all at linebacker and will only improve in 2023.

Alongside Barrett Carter, the Tigers have the best linebacker duo in college football.

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Jim Phillips believes ACC can bridge revenue gap with Big Ten, SEC

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips discussed the revenue gap between the conference and the Big Ten and SEC on Tuesday.

The 2023 ACC Kickoff is underway in Charlotte as teams in the conference are meeting the media over the next three days ahead of the start of the upcoming season. To kick things off on Tuesday, commissioner Jim Phillips met the media to discuss a variety of topics.

One of those topics happened to be the revenue gap between the ACC and its competition, the SEC and Big Ten.

With conference realignment being a big topic over the past year and a report that seven teams were looking to leave the conference, Phillips addressed the revenue gap and he believes that the conference can bridge that gap.

“We remain in constant communication with Disney and ESPN, as there is no single business partnership in our industry that is valued more than with a conference’s media rights holder,” Phillips said to the media. “In certainly one of the most turbulent times in history for both media and college sports, I and the ACC have never felt better about our relationship than we do today. Our commitment to collaborate on way the ACC from a revenue and exposure standpoint has been unwavering.

The work that’s been done over this past year, particularly in the last six months, as the Disney leadership and ESPN has been solidified, has been incredibly important to our partnership are. Jimmy Pitaro, Burke Magnus, Roz Durant, Nick Dawson and their entire team have been terrific, and collectively we have, one, agreed on a comprehensive, mutually beneficial growth and innovation strategy moving forward. And, second, put in motion several priority initiatives, the combination of which we believe will transform our conference for years to come.”

The talk of revenue has been a big topic among the conference with teams speaking out against it and potentially looking to move to a new conference to earn more money.

So revenue generation continues to be a priority. But let me be clear also, this league is third right now in revenue as we go forward into wherever the next TV deals are for other conferences where, we’ve looked at it. We’ve had multiple TV consultants. Third is certainly a good position, but we want to gain and gain traction financially in order to close the gap with obviously the SEC and the Big Ten, who have leapfrogged everyone.

However, Phillips also mentioned that those tensions have gone down a little bit since those meetings in the Spring.

Phillips did expand a little more on the revenue gap which you can read the full transcript via Tar Heels Illustrated here.

It seems like for now talks of teams leaving the ACC have cooled down just a bit.

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Duke football gives Mike Elko extension

Mike Elko gets his contract extended by the Duke football program on Monday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels football program will be seeing rival head coach Mike Elko a little longer with the Duke Blue Devils.

The program announced on Monday that Elko’s contract has been extended through the 2029 season. The new contract also features an “enhanced, escalating model” for his coaching staff’s salary pool per the release.

Duke hired Elko following the 2021 season after he served as defensive coordinator for Texas A&M. Right away Elko made an impact, leading Duke to a 8-4 regular season record. They capped off the season with a win in the Military Bowl.

One of those four losses came at home to North Carolina but the Blue Devils were close to pulling off the upset.

In just one year, Elko has been impressive and is starting to turn this Duke program around. For UNC fans, that’s not great but it’s hard not to respect Elko and the job he has done with the program so far.

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Athlon Sports ranks Dabo Swinney as the top head coach in the ACC

No surprises here; Dabo Swinney is the best coach in the ACC.

Heading into the 2023 college football season, media outlets have been doing many different rankings for players, teams, and coaches. 

Recently, Athlon Sports took a crack at ranking the ACC’s College Football Coaches for 2023. When discussing coaching in the ACC, while there are multiple great coaches, only one is the clear-cut best in the conference. That head coach is Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

Writer Steven Lassan agrees, ranking Swinney as the conference’s top coach heading into 2023. Here is what Lassan had to say about the Tigers’ future Hall of Fame head coach.

1. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Clemson has emerged as one of college football’s top programs and an annual threat to make the CFB Playoff under Swinney’s watch. After a slow start to his tenure (19-15 from 2008-10), the Tigers have won double-digit games every year, claimed two national championships and have not lost more than two games in ACC play since ’11. Clemson hasn’t made a trip to the CFB Playoff since ’20, while the offense has regressed in the last two seasons. However, hiring Garrett Riley from TCU to call plays should help the offense get back on track, and potentially elevate the Tigers back into the mix for a playoff spot in ’23.

Swinney being the top coach in the ACC is as clear as it gets. His career is too impressive and he is still performing in 2023.

With eight ACC Championships, two College Football Playoff National Championships, and 15 first-round picks with Swinney at the helm, the Clemson football program has developed into one of the premier programs in the country. There is no coach in the ACC more deserving of the No.1 ranking.

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Gray and Maye among ACC’s top players heading into upcoming season

UNC football stars Cedric Gray (11) and Drake Maye (1) made their way into the top College Football News’ Preseason Top 30 ACC players list.

When you have arguably the top quarterback and one of the best linebackers in college football, chances are you’re going to be pretty good.

In this case, that top quarterback is Drake Maye and that talented linebacker is Cedric Gray, both key parts of the UNC football squad.

Because of their on-field success in 2022, Maye and Grey were named to College Football News’ Top 30 ACC Players list.

Maye is CFN’s top-ranked player, while Gray is the second-ranked linebacker at 11th.

Maye came into last season as Sam Howell’s replacement and ended it as one of the best players in college football. He and his Tar Heel teammates bolted off to a 9-1 start, including wins over in-state rivals App State, Wake Forest and Duke. Maye’s 4,321 passing yards were fourth in the FBS, while his 937 rushing yards led the Heels.

The stats are impressive, but Maye goes far beyond the numbers. He’s a type of player who can sit pretty in the pocket and pick apart a defense with his accurate, rocket arm, scramble and find a receiver on the run or, if the play breaks down, can escape pressure and sprint pass the secondary for a long touchdown.

Among the likes of USC’s Caleb Williams, Oregon’s Bo Nix, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Florida State’s Jordan Travis, Maye is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy this season.

Cedric Gray was one of the anchors of an otherwise-unreliable UNC defense last year, one which allowed the sixth-most yards (5,697) among FBS schools.

Gray, named UNC’s defensive MVP according to his player bio, finished third in the country last season with 144 tackles. He won ACC Linebacker of the Week for his 14-tackle performance in the win against Georgia State, a game-high 13 tackles in the loss against Notre Dame, plus a career-high 16 tackles in the close, 31-28 victory over Virginia. In the postseason against Clemson and Oregon, Gray totaled 15 tackles (three for loss).

Though he’s known for his ability to find the opposing ballcarrier, Gray can drop back to help the defense in coverage. Gray forced three fumbles and deflected eight passes in 2022.

If Maye and Gray play to the best of their abilities, Carolina could be a very dangerous team in the Fall.

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