Tag: NC State Football

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

The 11 best moments from the Pop-Tarts Bowl that had nothing to do with the game

POP-TARTS EVERYWHERE.

Some college football bowl games massively disappoint. Some exceed your wildest expectations. And Thursday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando was definitely the latter.

Yes, Kansas State topped NC State, 28-19, and that’s great for the Wildcats.

But let’s face it: The real winners of the Pop-Tarts Bowl were fans who watched the game and got treated to an abundance of Pop-Tarts-themed fun and mayhem. And the sponsorship and product placement worked because if you watched any part of this game, chances are you ended up craving Pop-Tarts at some point.

RELATED: The Pop-Tarts Bowl mascot menacingly creeping behind a referee became an instant meme

While the matchup itself was exciting, the scene around the Pop-Tarts Bowl was exceptional and seemingly shot this game up to one of the favorite bowls among college football fans (RIP Cheez-It Bowl).

So here are our favorite moments from the bowl that had absolutely nothing to do with the game.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

ACC Football 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings After Early Signing Day

Here is a full look at how the ACC stands in team recruiting rankings after early signing day.

Early signing day was, as it should be for every college football program nationwide, a very busy day.

High school players across the country signed their national letters of intent and secured the next step in their football careers as they prepare to join their new teams. The ACC had some good success on early signing day, with multiple ACC programs landing in the top 25 of class team rankings following the day. 

So, how does the ACC stack up against each other? That’s what we’re going to take a look at today. Here is a look at every ACC team’s 2024 team recruiting ranking according to 247Sports following early signing day.

Updated 12/25

NC State football perfectly invoked Taylor Swift for Payton Wilson’s postseason awards campaign

This is a winning combo.

It’s undeniable that Taylor Swift is the woman of the hour. Her Eras Tour, which gets back underway in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 9, is expected to make over $2 billion on North American ticket sales alone. The accompanying film has already grossed over $200 million dollars. She currently holds eight of the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 and 20 of the top 40.

With her music and movie success coupled with her new relationship with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, Swift has been a popular topic.

MORE: 6 signs Taylor Swift’s Reputation (Taylor’s Version) could be dropping soon, according to fans

So it’s understandable that the communications department at NC State invoked the pop goddess to make a memorable flyer for linebacker Payton Wilson.

Wilson is one of the best defensive players in the country and a candidate for several accolades, including the Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award and All-America team. Included in the email was a graphic that emulated Swift’s Eras Tour poster and accompanying facts built around song titles.

Iconic work.

Swinney comments on Shipley’s injury

Dabo Swinney was asked about Will Shipley’s injury against NC State.

Clemson’s Will Shipley took a huge hit on the 1-yard line in the second quarter against NC State Saturday and didn’t return to the game following the injury. 

It was a hit to the back of the head/neck area, keeping Shipley down for a while before heading off the field under his own power. It was a brutal hit to watch, and things looked scary before Shipley could get himself off the field.  

Following the game, Swinney was asked about the status of Shipley following the injury.

“I’m not sure,” Swinney said.

“I think they did some X-rays, maybe on his neck and stuff, but I haven’t gotten any results,” Swinney later said. “I was just told he was definitely out of the game.”

Hopefully, it isn’t anything serious for the star running back.

Social media reacts: Clemson trending in the wrong direction following loss to NC State

Social media reacts to another Clemson loss.

The Clemson football program is going through it in 2023 as they continued their struggles in a 24-17 road loss to NC State.

It was the same old story for this Clemson team, as the defense played well outside of some big plays allowed, and the offense struggled with turnovers, poor play-calling, and overall inconsistency. Things have worsened for the Tigers, as we haven’t seen a strong performance from Dabo Swinney’s team in weeks. Some would argue, all season. 

Social media was not friendly to the Tigers after this one, as Swinney’s squad continued trending in the wrong direction. Here is a look at how Twitter/X reacted to another Clemson loss.

Five takeaways from Clemson’s abysmal road loss to NC State

Clemson continues to pick up ACC losses following another underwhelming performance.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers had yet another poor performance as they fell on the road 24-17 against NC State.

Heading into writing this, underwhelming, was the word I had planned to use when describing this performance. The reality is that that is being generous at this point. The harsh truth is that it was an abysmal loss for the Tigers, who continually show us the same thing week after week.

Most Clemson fans would agree that it is a bad feeling heading into each game expecting the worst, but that’s the story with this team. It doesn’t look like things are going to change anytime soon. 

Here are five takeaways from Clemson’s abysmal road loss to NC State in Week 9.

Why N.C. State’s Dave Doeren said Steve Smith Sr. ‘can kiss my [expletive]’ after win over Clemson

Why was Dave Doeren so mad at Steve Smith Sr. after NC State beat Clemson?

If you are wondering why North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren told former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. to “kiss his ass” during a postgame interview, you are not alone.

After Doeren and the NC State Wolfpack toppled Clemson, 24-17, at home on Saturday to get to 5-3 on the season, the coach gave a feisty postgame jab at Smith by telling him that NC State isn’t a basketball school and that he can “kiss his ass.”

Look, we get being excited and all over a Clemson win, but what does Smith have to do with this? Well, it turns out the insult actually makes a lot of sense.

Smith, a Utah alumnus, appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay this week while the show broadcasted from Salt Lake City. He also joked about NC State’s chances of beating Clemson as he picked the Tigers to win.

“Clemson has been struggling,” Smith told the College GameDay crew. “They’re not the Clemson that we’ve loved over the years. But NC State, unfortunately, they’re waiting for basketball to start.”

Okay, we now see why Doeren was so salty toward Smith after the game.

NC State isn’t really known for a single sport as much as them just being relatively competitive across plenty of sports, so Doeren is right to defend his program’s honor after such a big win.

However, the whole situation was a bit strange if you didn’t have a good bit of context.

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Clemson’s nightmare season continues; fall to NC State 24-17 on the road

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers can’t put it all together as they drop another ACC matchup.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are having their worst season in years, and it continued Saturday as Clemson fell on the rad 24-17 to NC State at Carter-Finley Stadium.

The Tigers (4-4, 2-4 ACC) trailed the Wolfpack (5-3, 2-2 ACC) 24-7 at the end of the 3rd quarter, with the Clemson offense threatening to score and chip away at the NC State lead. On the first play of the fourth quarter, running back Phil Mafah scored his second touchdown of the game on another 1-yard run, making the score 24-14 with a whole quarter left to play.

Clemson found themselves in the red zone a couple drives later but opted not to go for it on 4th down. Kicker Jonathan Weitz snuck in a 19-yard field goal, shrinking NC State’s lead to seven. The big issue, at this point, was the Tigers’ time management.

Swinney didn’t manage the clock well down the stretch, with the Tigers wasting precious time on multiple drives, including their final one. Their final drive was 14 plays for 35 yards, eating up 4:09 minutes of the clock.

Clemson’s struggles continue.

Halftime Report: Clemson’s struggles continue as they trail NC State 10-7

Clemson continues their season-long struggles as the Tigers trail NC State 10-7 at the half.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football team have struggled throughout the 2023 season, and that struggle has continued against NC State as the Tigers trail the Wolfpack 10-7 at the half in Carter-Finley Stadium.

Outside of one brutal drive, the Clemson defense has played a strong football game against the Wolfpack. Allowing 85 yards in a half will almost always be a good thing, allowing just 20 passing yards in the game. Defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is having a great day, with a sack and two tackles for loss.

On offense, well, the struggles are very real. Totaling 162 yards in a half isn’t the worst thing in the world, but not scoring points is. Just seven points for the Tigers’ offense in this one, with the score coming on a 1-yard Phil Mafah touchdown.

Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik ended the first half completing 14-23 passes for 124 yards and an interception. The team totaled 38 rushing yards in the half.