Tag: NC State Football

Where Clemson ranks in The Athletic’s preseason ranking of all 134 FBS teams

See where the Tigers ranked entering Week 0 in The Athletic’s ranking of all 134 FBS teams for the 2024 season.

With less than a week remaining until the start of the 2024 college football season (for six FBS teams, anyway), The Athletic’s Chris Vannini returned with his eighth annual ranking of all 134 FBS college football teams ($).

Dubbed The Athletic 134, Vannini ranks Clemson at No. 16 entering the season — seven spots below defending ACC champion Florida State at No. 9 and one spot ahead of Miami at No. 17.

Vannini says of Clemson and the Hurricanes:

“I don’t like the trajectory at Clemson, which just has not been as good at quarterback, receiver and on the defensive line as it was when it was winning national championships, but this should still be a top-10 talent roster. Does Miami have enough talent to get past all those times it trips over itself? Adding quarterback Cam Ward and running back Damien Martinez are two big-time moves. Mario Cristobal isn’t on the hot seat, but you want to see real progress.”

Virginia Tech was the only other ACC team that placed inside Vannini’s Top 25. The Hokies were ranked No. 24, two spots ahead of NC State at No. 26. Among other ACC teams ranked in order in The Athletic 134, SMU was next up at No. 28 with Louisville at No. 32.

Clemson welcomes NC State to Death Valley on Sept. 21 in the third game of the season. The Tigers travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech on Nov. 9.

“Virginia Tech won six of its last nine games last year and seemed to finally turn the corner under Brent Pry. With basically everyone back, this feels like a step-forward year into something bigger,” Vannini said of the Hokies.

On NC State, Vannini offered:

“NC State is another program that deserves more respect, winning at least eight games in six of the last seven seasons (although never more than nine wins). With talented transfer quarterback Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina, don’t turn your back on the Wolfpack.”

Ohio State topped The Athletic 134‘s Week 0 rankings, will be updated each week throughout the season. Georgia was No. 2 with Oregon at No. 3. Texas (No. 4) and Alabama (No. 5) rounded out the top five.

Clemson opens the season in less than two weeks against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (noon ET, ABC). The Tigers are ranked No. 14 in both the preseason AP and US LBM Coaches Top 25 Polls. Georgia is ranked No. 1 in both polls .

Follow us @Clemson_Wire on X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and commentary.

Former Ohio State receiver shines elsewhere

Former Ohio State receiver shines elsewhere #GoBucks

The transfer portal gives and the transfer portal takes away. Ohio State earned a big win in regard to the transfer portal this past off-season as they were able to sway Caleb Downs, Quinshon Judkins, Seth McLaughlin and Will Howard to come to Columbus. No one is arguing that the Buckeyes got more talent than what departed, but there were a few pieces that some Ohio State fans felt could be superstars.

One of those potential mystery pieces was Noah Rogers. The former highly-touted four-star saw the writing on the wall this past off-season and opted to take his talents to North Carolina State. The former top 50 player in the class of 2023 looks like he has filled out his frame nicely and has been described by teammates as “a freak of nature.”

It is always fun to follow former Buckeyes and cheer them on at their other spots and it looks like Rogers may have a significant impact on his new squad.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

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.

– Updated 5/11

Former Ohio State defensive back visits ACC school

Former Ohio State defensive back visits ACC school. #GoBucks

My hopes were high when Ja’Had Carter originally arrived in Columbus to play for Ohio State after dominating for the Syracuse Orange. But after one season of limited playing time and spring practices showing what was likely going to be the same result, Carter felt it was time to move on once again.

Carter entered the transfer portal for the second time during his collegiate career and apparently is looking to move back to the ACC. The Virginia native is visiting North Carolina State today and this looks like a great landing spot for Carter.

He has one year of eligibility left after spending his first three seasons at Syracuse and one at Ohio State and playing for the Wolfpack looks like a really good fit.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

Formern Commanders DE James Smith-Williams signs with Falcons

Smith-Williams’ departure makes it official. The book on the 2020 NFL draft is closed in Washington.

In the latest free agent signings, James Smith-Williams has departed the Commanders to join the Falcons on a one-year deal.

Drafted in the seventh round (No. 229) in the 2020 draft by Washington, the former North Carolina State Wolfpack defensive end played four seasons for the Burgundy and Gold.

When Chase Young went down in 2021 with a season-ending knee injury, Smith-Williams noticeably improved the Commanders defense for the remainder of the season. His defense against the run proved to be a contributing factor to the team winning four consecutive games when he entered the lineup.

He started the last six games of that 2021 season, recording 30 tackles (11 solo, 19 assisted), including four for a loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks, and five additional QB hits.

Smith-Williams started 14 games in the 2022 season, contributing 23 tackles (12 solo, 11 assisted), including five tackles for a loss, three QB sacks and 16 QB hits.

In his final season (2023) in Washington, injuries limited him to 13 games (7 starts), 22 tackles (11 solo, 11 assists), two tackles for a loss, one quarterback sack, and eight quarterback hits.

Here are highlights from his last two Washington seasons.

When the 2024  free agent signing period launched in March, the Commanders new administration determined to sign Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Dante Fowler Jr. both defensive ends who had played for new head coach Dan Quinn in Dallas.

Then, the Commanders signed Clelin Ferrell, a former 49ers defensive end, whom new GM Adam Peters knew from his time as the assistant general manager in San Francisco.

The Commanders had also determined, this offseason, to re-sign Efe Obada over Smith-Williams. Obada has played both inside and outside on passing downs, accumulating 15 career sacks in his 74 NFL games played.

A couple of things are noteworthy. New Falcons free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins has the same agent as Smith-Williams (Priority Sports & Entertainment), and current Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith was with Washington and ran the draft board during the 2020 draft, Ron Rivera’s first with Washington.

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 4/7

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 3/31

Florida defensive lineman Derry Norris talks upcoming visits

Derry Norris breaks down his upcoming official visits.

Derry Norris has three official visits lined up, the Florida defensive lineman beginning to schedule out the next step in his recruitment.

A name to watch, Norris is a three-star and ranked as the No. 51 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 69 player in Florida in 2025 class. He is from Spruce Creek (Port Orange, Florida).

At 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds, he already intriguing has Power Five size.

In late May, he will take an official visit to Georgia Tech followed by North Carolina State the next weekend and Purdue on June 20. Purdue is trending well, Norris said, because of “The relationship outside of football.”

“Everything is great,” Norris told USA TODAY High School Sports.

“The bond gets stronger and stronger every week. It feels like family.”

Another program making inroads with Norris is North Carolina State. Last year, the Wolfpack landed two Florida players in their 2024 recruiting class.

“What makes NC State stick out to me is the amount of experience coach Wiles (offensive line coach Charles Wiles) has the guys he’s had a chance to coach,” Norris said.

“They’re always checking on me and my family making sure things are great.”

Recently, Wiles was offered by Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano along with Colin Ferrell (defensive line coach) and Julian Campenni (defensive ends coach).

“It started with a great conversation with coach Ferrell and coach Camp,” Norris said.

“During the conversation, they talked to me about their backgrounds and the meaning of coach Schiano’s saying F.A.M.I.L.Y. and CHOP.

“It was a great feeling knowing that Rutgers offered me because the system they have where the staff has to go through the head coach to offer a kid instead of them just being handed out.”

Every ACC football team’s ESPN preseason SP+ ranking

The ACC has some strong teams heading into the 2024 season, according to ESPN’s SP+.

The 2024 college football season is months away, but we all know that football remains on the mind throughout the offseason. 

Early rankings have been released all over the place, with ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently releasing the preseason ESPN SP+ rankings ($$$) for the 2024 season. These SP+ rankings consider multiple key factors regarding a football team, including returning production, recent recruiting, and recent history. A strong model; here is a bit more of what Connelly had to say about the rankings. 

“It’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking. Along those same lines, these projections aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the season. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather to date.”

Straightforward and to the point, these are power rankings based on what we know right now. So, how do Clemson and the rest of the ACC stack up in the first SP+ rankings for 2024? Check it out below.

Updated 2/16

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