ACC Football Teams Ranked by Returning Production for 2024

A look at each ACC team’s returning production for the upcoming 2024 season.

Forecasting which teams will rise to greatness in college football in any given season can prove challenging. However, a key indicator often lies in the roster’s returning players.

From seasoned fifth-year senior linebackers to up-and-coming junior quarterbacks, the presence of experienced athletes opting to continue with their respective programs can significantly bolster a team’s competitive advantage. This continuity becomes particularly crucial as other teams contend with talent depletion due to NFL draft selections, transfers, or eligibility regulations.

ESPN recently released a list of all 134 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams, with each ACC team naturally being listed. Here is a look at each ACC team’s returning production on offense, defense, and total.

Updated 2/24

ACC starting quarterback rankings for 2024

Here are our ACC quarterback rankings for 2024, with projected starters.

We are still some time away from the start of the 2024 college football season, but that doesn’t stop us from looking ahead.

Today, we are looking at the ACC starting quarterbacks for 2024 and ranking them ahead of the season. This is just a preview, as it is still many months from the season, and things can change fast. While every team doesn’t have a starting quarterback on paper, we are making projections on these starters based on what we know right now.

The ACC is a bit different now, with the addition of new programs and new faces to the conference. Try not to get mad with these, they’re subjective! That said, here are our ACC starting quarterback rankings heading into the 2024 season.

Every ACC Football Team’s 2024 Recruiting Class Ranking After National Signing Day

Here is a look at every ACC team’s final 2024 recruiting class ranking.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson coaching staff showcased their recruiting prowess in the 2024 class, adding considerable talent to their roster. However, the burning question remains: how does Clemson’s recruiting effort compare to other ACC powerhouses following National Signing Day?

Today, we delve into the post-National Signing Day landscape, dissecting each ACC football team’s 2024 recruiting team ranking according to 247Sports. While Clemson remains a formidable force in ACC recruiting circles, they find themselves not at the summit for this particular recruiting cycle. Another program is poised for a significant resurgence, and the 2024 class appears to be the catalyst for their potential return to past glory.

From perennial ACC contenders to emerging teams within the conference, let’s examine the 2024 recruiting team ranking for each ACC program, shedding light on the evolving dynamics within the conference.

Updated 2/13

Back to school: Teddy Bridgewater to coach Florida high school powerhouse

Teddy Bridgewater returns to Miami to coach Northwestern High School.

Teddy Bridgewater is coming home, the former NFL quarterback set to return to the high school where he was once a star.

Bridgewater’s return to Northwestern High School (Miami) is certainly intriguing. He graduated from the school in 2011 as a four-star recruit and the sixth-ranked pro-style quarterback in the nation according to Rivals.

He was the No. 113 overall recruit and one of the top recruits to ever come from Northwestern, a program that has perenially been among the best in Florida.

 

Following his career at Northwestern, Bridgewater went on to play college football at Louisville where he was the All-Big East Player of the Year in 2012. In 2014, he was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2014 NFL draft.

Last season, Northwestern went 4-6. The return of Bridgewater as head coach is a jolt of energy to the program with his considerable background and accomplishments both in college at Louisville and then on Sundays.

During his 10 years in the NFL, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 15,120 yards with 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. In 2015, his second season in the league, Bridgewater was selected to the Pro Bowl.

 

A look at Clemson football’s complete 2024 schedule

Here is a look at Clemson football’s entire 2024 schedule.

After a long wait, we finally have a complete look at the Clemson football team’s 2024 schedule.

While we have known who the Tigers will be facing for some time, we now have the date and week for each game. Times are yet to be determined, as many factors go into the time choices for each game. Even so, we know what week each game will take place, so Clemson fans can now plan accordingly.

With the release of the schedule, we put together a week-by-week schedule of our own for you to see who Clemson will face each week and where it will be. Take a look at Clemson’s complete 2024 schedule below.

Updated 2/1

Three Clemson games ranked among college football’s 24 most important of the 2024 season

Clemson has some of the most important college football games of the 2024 season.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program have a huge year ahead of them in 2024, with many opportunities to prove that they remain one of the top dogs in college football. 

Opportunity can be everything and the Tigers have multiple to prove their point… Clemson is going nowhere. The real questions surround whether the Tigers will take advantage of their opportunities. 

247Sports recently released an article naming college football’s 24 most important games for the 2024 season. Clemson landed on the list for three separate games. Three games are among the most important in all of college football for 2024, and they pose serious opportunities for the Tigers. 

Here is a look at each of the three games and what writer Brad Crawford had to say about them.

9 photos of Lincoln Riley taking the inaugural egg nog bath after USC’s Holiday Bowl win

Lincoln Riley enjoyed some egg nog for the holidays.

You’ve heard of the Gatorade bath for winning head coaches, and you’ve even seen the disgusting mayonnaise baths delivered to coaches who win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Now, I present to you the egg nog bath.

An almost perfect middle ground of the consistency between gatorade and mayo, egg nog was poured on the winning coach of the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl for the first time in 2023. That meant Lincoln Riley was the first coach to take nog to the noggin Wednesday after his USC Trojans beat Louisville.

Depending on your feelings about un-spiked nog, this was either the most disgusting thing you’ve seen, or something you’d be down to try.

These photos are guaranteed to reinforce whatever those feelings are.

Here are the ten CFB programs that have produced multiple 1st round QB selections since the 2010 NFL Draft

Texas A&M is one of ten CFB programs since the 2010 NFL Draft with multiple 1st round quarterback selections.

Over the last decade-plus, the quarterback position has continued to evolve with the game itself, and while having a live arm paired with accuracy and touch remain the traits needed to succeed in the NFL, the ability to make plays “out of structure,” while possessing at least moderate duel-threat running ability has become even more vital.

While many of us can pinpoint the Power 5 college football programs that consistently produce quarterback talent, the ever-growing transfer portal has completely thrown off any past trends outside of Oklahoma and now USC under head coach and “QB guru” Lincoln Riley.

Credit to College Football Report for narrowing down the list of the ten programs that have produced multiple 1st Round NFL Selections since the 2010 NFL Draft, which happens to include Texas A&M and, yes, North Dakota State during their incredible run, winning nine FCS National Championships from 2011-2021.

Including several Heisman Trophy winners and potential future NFL Hall of Fame inductees, the ten college football programs have had multiple first-round picks since the 2010 NFL Draft.

Trojans Wire talks to Card Chronicle about the Holiday Bowl

Card Chronicle wanted to learn more about USC.

The Louisville SB Nation site Card Chronicle reached out to us before the 2023 Holiday Bowl. USC prepares for a game Louisville is expected to win. The main story is Miller Moss, and the long-term impact of this contest is uncertain.

Here’s Card Chronicle’s interview of Trojans Wire. One small excerpt:

“Expect a lot of short, ball-control passes with Miller Moss to establish a rhythm and some confidence. Also expect USC to run the ball early and see if its offensive line can form a tougher identity. USC’s O-line disappointed this season. Lincoln Riley will want to test that unit and see if it can mash a little in San Diego. If USC can run the ball really well in this game, that would build confidence heading into the offseason and the Big Ten. If Louisville’s front four plays a great game, it’s hard to see how USC will win.”

There’s a lot more on this game, but also on the bowl system and Alex Grinch as well.

Our thanks to Card Chronicle for the conversation before USC’s last football game of 2023.

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Other than Miller Moss, what else matters for USC in the Holiday Bowl?

It seems the Holiday Bowl isn’t a big deal, but we don’t know that for sure.

Just how important is this 2023 Holiday Bowl for USC? Everyone knows it is really important for Miller Moss, the quarterback who will get to play the full game and demonstrate what he can do on the field as the unquestioned leader of this offense. There’s no Caleb Williams. There is no Malachi Nelson. This is Moss’s game. Maybe Moss is playing for the chance to be USC’s starting quarterback on opening day in 2024, when the Trojans face the LSU Tigers in Las Vegas. Maybe Moss is not playing for his USC status, but to give other schools and coaches a good piece of game film before entering the transfer portal.

We don’t know if Moss will enter the portal, but it could be that Moss will play this game for USC and then reconsider his options. Lincoln Riley and USC haven’t yet signed Will Howard or any other transfer portal quarterback. Moss might have made his decision behind the scenes, but nothing has been made public just yet. It’s clear this game is big for Moss.

What about the rest of the USC Trojans?

Defensive players might be playing for roster spots in this game, since new coordinator D’Anton Lynn will be evaluating players. Lynn won’t coach the Trojans, but he will certainly take notes on who does well and who fails. Who does Lynn think will be part of the 2024 roster, and who will Lynn ask to enter the transfer portal and find an opportunity elsewhere? These are the kinds of questions which will tell us how important the Holiday Bowl is.

Also: Will a loss turn off more recruits and portal prospects, or will a loss tell players that the roster is weak, meaning that new and incoming players might have a better chance of starting in 2024? That could work both ways. A loss might not be a negative for USC in terms of building its roster for next season.

Ultimately, we will know more about the importance of this Wednesday night game on Friday and Saturday.

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