Tag: SMU football

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 4/19

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

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

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

Georgia football DE announces transfer destination

Georgia football defensive end transferring to future ACC school

Georgia Bulldogs defensive end Jonathan Jefferson announced he will transfer to the SMU Mustangs. SMU is set to join the ACC in 2024. Jefferson figures to get a lot more playing time at SMU.

Jefferson entered the NCAA transfer portal after Georgia’s SEC championship loss. Jefferson signed with Georgia football as a member of the class of 2021 and is a former four-star recruit. Jefferson played for Douglas County High School in Douglasville, Georgia.

The 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive end played in seven games throughout the 2023 college football season. Jefferson recorded one tackle against Kentucky this season, but did not see a ton of snaps on a regular basis. The redshirt sophomore should provide a boost to the SMU defensive front.

Georgia’s defensive end room will look different for the 2024 college football season. Senior defensive end Tramel Walthour is the one player on Georgia’s roster that has used up all of his eligibility. Defensive line is one of Georgia’s top positions of need in the transfer portal.

[lawrence-related id=96292]

Jefferson announced his intentions to transfer to the SMU Mustangs via social media:

We wish Jonathan Jefferson good luck at SMU.

ACC schools approve the addition of Stanford, Cal, and SMU, per reports

After weeks of speculation, the ACC is adding three programs.

Major moves are happening in the ACC.

According to multiple reports, the ACC schools have approved the addition of Stanford, Cal, and SMU to the conference. This is huge news for the conference as they are adding their first program since the 2014-15 season.

The ACC was falling behind in college football realignment, and while it took some time, they are now catching up with the times and working toward building the conference. The SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12 have each already announced the addition of top programs around the country, and now the ACC is a part of the game.

According to reports, these programs are expected to join the conference in the 2024-25 athletics season. Things will never be the same in college football!

ACC closing in on adding three programs, per reports

Reports suggest that the ACC will be adding Stanford, Cal, and SMU in the near future.

College football realignment has been looming over the ACC for some time, and it sounds like things are heading toward a change in the conference. 

The conference recently fell one vote short of adding Stanford and Cal, with four programs voting no to adding the two West Coast schools. Even so, reports released Wednesday that the ACC is expected to add Stanford, Cal, and SMU to the conference. 

Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted Wednesday that he was ” told Cal, Stanford, and SMU are in the process of finalizing a deal to join the ACC in football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball…” ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported that the conference was back in the works of adding programs shortly before Silver’s news. 

There are no guarantees, but things look to be going towards expansion in the ACC. 

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

TCU and SMU’s ‘Battle for the Iron Skillet’ to be put on hold following 2025 matchup

Another classic college football rivalry game appears to be on the death’s doorstep.

Another classic college football rivalry game will be coming to a screeching halt. Due to conference realignment and expansion, rivalry games have consistently been dying over the last decade; the Big 12 and Big Ten expansions this summer have only sped up the death of these historic rivalries. 

The “Battle for the Iron Skillet” rivalry following the 2025 season will be “paused,” according to multiple reports. Action Networks’ Brett McMurphy was the first to report the news on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

The two Dallas-Forth Worth-based programs create one of the more unique rivalries in the fact that the two programs are only separated by 35 miles. 

The Iron Skillet rivalry has had 101 meetings since the first matchup between the two programs on October 18, 1915. Of the 101 matchups, TCU leads the series with 52 wins to SMU’s 42 wins; the two programs have also tied seven times throughout its history.

The Horned Frogs hold that lead despite SMU winning 15 consecutive matchups from 1972 through 1986. However, since 1989, TCU has been the dominant program in the rivalry, winning 24 of the last 32 matchups. 

Last season, TCU defeated SMU 42-34, snapping a two-game winning streak in the series for the Mustangs. Of course, it was the first matchup between the two programs as well, since former SMU head coach Sonny Dykes took over as the head coach of TCU. 

Other notable rivalries that have been put on pause or have died completely due to conference realignment include the “Border War” between Kansas and Missouri and Texas vs. Texas A&M. More rivalry games are expected to come to an end in the near future. Rivalries such as “Bedlam” between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and Oregon and Oregon State’s rivalry, once nicknamed “Civil War,” will also be played one last time for the foreseeable future this fall. 

Lions sign wide receiver Trey Quinn, waive Tom Kennedy

The Detroit Lions sign wide receiver Trey Quinn, waive WR Tom Kennedy

The Detroit Lions waived wide receiver Tom Kennedy, the team announced on Friday. Kennedy was waived with injury status. To replace Kennedy on the roster, the team signed wide receiver Trey Quinn.

Coming out of SMU for the 2018 NFL Draft, Quinn was a 6’0″ and 203 pound receiver that ran the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds and had a 3-cone drill of 6.91 seconds. He originally played football at LSU before transferring to SMU.

When going through the draft process, there was speculation that he could be a 4th or 5th round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, he ended up being the Draft’s Mr. Irrelevant as the last pick after he was selected by Washington.

Quinn ended up playing two seasons with Washington before being waived in September of 2020. During that time, he recorded 35 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

After being put on waivers, he was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. As his practice squad contract expired, he ended up in Las Vegas before being placed on injured reserve.

Since then, he has had a brief stint with the Denver Broncos and ended up being a key contributor at receiver for the Michigan Panthers this spring in the USFL. For the Panthers, he ended up posting 37 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns.

As the Lions continue to look for depth at wide receiver, Quinn will look to make the teams 53-man roster. Players such as Marvin Jones and Jameson Williams not practicing due to injury and being on the NFI list will give Quinn the opportunity to compete.