2024 pressing questions for every ACC team this spring
Clemson, Miami and Pitt have all started spring practice within the last week, while Boston, Virginia Tech, and the rest of the league will return to the field in the coming days.
Last week, I outlined pressing spring questions for every team in the SEC and Big Ten, so we continue the series today looking at the ACC.
After an offseason dominated by storylines off the field, it will be nice to dive into individual teams, players and narratives over the next six weeks. Spring practices rarely provide finite answers, but they can offer valuable clues about what’s to come in the fall.
The ACC is now a conference with the name Atlantic in its name with 17 members that features two schools on the Pacific Coast. Brilliant! The new-look league will see Cal, Stanford and SMU join the party this fall, while members like Florida State and Clemson are actively trying to leave the conference. Still, the ACC doesn’t lack intrigue, especially with several new head coaches, lots of ongoing quarterback battles and a program like Miami looking to reclaim its national prominence.
So here’s a key question I’m curious about for all 17 ACC teams this spring:
Boston College — Can Bill O’Brien figure out how to harness the best out of quarterback Thomas Castellanos?
Sophomore quarterback Thomas Castellanos was Boston College’s Tasmanian devil in 2023 — a wild force of nature you weren’t exactly sure what you were going to get on a down-to-down basis. Castellanos completed just 57% of his passes and threw 14 interceptions, but he also tossed 15 touchdowns and had 1,113 yards rushing (with 13 touchdowns) — which was second to only Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
With Bill O’Brien now as head coach, can the former Alabama and New England Patriots OC get the most of the enigmatic quarterback? Castellanos clearly has a skill set that can lead BC to wins, but only if he avoids so many costly giveaways. This spring will be key for his continued development.
Cal — Did Justin Wilcox find a suitable replacement for Jake Spavital?
One of the reasons for Cal’s mini-renaissance (first bowl appearance since 2019) last season was the offense’s dramatic improvement under former Texas State head coach Jake Spavital. Behind All-Pac 12 standout tailback Jaydn Ott, who had over 1,300 yards, the Bears went from 96h nationally in scoring to 52nd.
But Spavital is now the OC at Baylor, so Wilcox promoted offensive line coach Mike Bloesch to a play-caller role. Can the Bears continue their momentum, especially in a more manageable conference? Ott is back, as are several of Cal’s top receivers, but Bloesch must oversee a quarterback battle this spring between incumbent starter Fernando Mendoza and North Texas transfer Chandler Rogers.
Clemson — Will Year 2 under Garrett Riley look any different?
Dabo Swinney made one of the splashiest hires of the 2023 offseason when he plucked offensive coordinator Garrett Riley away from TCU. Many, myself included, thought this was a sign that Clemson would embrace some new ideas outside the family tree. Only, the Tigers’ offense didn’t look much different — with whatever (or whosoever) scheme they were running last season looking similarly ineffective. The Tigers’ yards per play and scoring averages both dropped from the previous season, so will anything be different this spring?
The receiver room remains super thin, and although Matt Luke should provide a boost in coaching, the offensive line isn’t without question marks, either. When you toss in quarterback Cade Klubnick’s inconsistencies, it’s a unit that has a lot of questions to address over the next six weeks.
Duke — Is it the Maalik Murphy show, or will he have to win over Manny Diaz first?
New Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz faces the difficult task of following the recent storied success of Mike Elko, coupled with inheriting a roster that saw most of its top players enter the transfer portal. The former Penn State DC did bring in some talent, too, headlined by Texas transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy.
Murphy has all the tools to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but his transfer market wasn’t as robust as expected following several inconsistent showings in relief of Quinn Ewers. The redshirt freshman started two games, but he completed just 56% of his passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Murphy has more upside than anyone else in Duke’s QB room, but sophomore Grayson Loftis was 3-2 in place of the injured Riley Leonard last season, and Henry Belin IV remains on the roster as well. Is Murphy the guy or will this be an open competition?
Florida State — How many transfers stand to be major contributors in the fall?
After losing nearly every notable star off last year’s undefeated ACC Championship team, Mike Norvell has leaned into the portal hard again to reload FSU’s roster this offseason. The Seminoles grabbed 15 transfers in the initial window, hoping most (if not all) either become starters or real contributors in 2024. The list includes former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, Georgia outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr., and five players from Alabama.
That’s a lot of new pieces to get up to speed this spring, but that’s what it’s going to take if Florida State has any hopes of repeating as conference champions again this fall.
Georgia Tech — What sort of changes will new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci bring to the ACC’s worst defense?
Overall, Year 1 was a successful season for Brent Key at his alma mater. The Yellow Jackets finished the season 7-6 with upsets over Miami and North Carolina and a win over UCF in the bowl game. But the team was still left thinking about what could have been because of how bad the defense was most of the year.
Quarterback Haynes King was among the biggest transfer surprises, but Georgia Tech’s defense finished the season last in the ACC in yards per play and 13th in scoring. Key made a midseason coordinator change, and then overhauled the rest of the defensive staff this offseason. He brought in former Duke DC Tyler Santucci, who turned the Blue Devils’ defense into the best-scoring unit in the ACC (just 19.0 points per game). What can the former longtime Mike Elko disciple do on his own?
Louisville — Can Jeff Brohm work his magic with his latest offensive transfer haul?
Similarly to the Seminoles, Louisville has gone portal-heavy in its hopes to fill lots of holes offensively. Brohm has once again quietly landed an impressive crop in quarterback Tyler Shough, receivers Caullin Lacy and Ja’Corey Brooks, and running backs Peny Boone and Don Chaney, among others. The Cardinals also reloaded along the offensive line with four new additions.
On paper, the moves look great, especially with Louisville returning the likes of promising freshman wideout Chris Bell and tight end Nate Kurisky. Can the new-look group start to establish some real chemistry this spring, though? Will an alpha emerge at wideout? Can Shough finally stay healthy? It’s a lot for Brohm to juggle.
Miami — Do the Hurricanes need to hit the portal for running back depth?
Mark Fletcher was the best freshman tailback in the ACC last season, as the former American Heritage star had 514 yards and five touchdowns on around 10 attempts a game as Miami’s No. 2 ‘back. Fletcher projects as the Hurricanes’ bell-cow tailback in 2024, but the sophomore remains sidelined this spring with a foot injury he suffered early in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Although Henry Parrish, who led the team with 625 yards last season, and Ajay Allen return, the Canes already lost promising sophomore Don Chaney Jr. to the portal this offseason. So if Fletcher, who is seen as such a valuable piece, looks questionable to start fall camp, Miami might need to grab some insurance from the transfer portal, too.
NC State — What sort of spark can the Wolfpack’s transfer class provide for a toothless offense?
NC State has legitimate ACC title hopes in 2024 — so long as the Wolfpack’s offense makes a major leap thanks to several notable additions from the transfer portal. KC Concepcion is among the best wideouts in the conference, but the freshman star needs support around him, so Dave Doeren aggressively attacked the transfer portal for a quarterback (Grayson McCall) and a pair of tailbacks (Jordan Waters and Hollywood Smothers) and receivers (Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes).
The Wolfpack ranked 10th in yards per play in 2023, but McCall should provide an upgrade in the passing game, while Waters looks to be a real upgrade at running back after leading Duke in rushing last season with 812 yards and 12 touchdowns.
North Carolina — What sort of imprints can Geoff Collins make on an underwhelming defense?
Mack Brown made a change at defensive coordinator this offseason, moving on from his close friend Gene Chizik for former Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins. Collins bombed as a Power 5 head coach, but he could improve a Tar Heels’ unit that can’t get out of its own way the last two seasons. UNC allowed 31.8 points per game in conference play.
The defensive personnel hasn’t changed for the better at all (just one transfer addition plus losing senior linebackers Kaimon Rucker, Cedric Gray and Amari Gainer, who combined for 16 sacks) this offseason, so it’ll be up to Collins to evaluate whether or not he can get the most out of the group, or if the roster needs real addressing come the end of April.
Pitt — Can the Panthers find any hopeful answers offensively?
The Panthers nose-dived to 3-9 last season thanks to an offense that resembled Iowa’s far too often. They averaged an ACC-worst 20.2 points per game, starting three different quarterbacks. Pat Narduzzi recruited Alabama freshman Eli Holstein to compete with Christian Veilleux and Nate Yarnell, both of whom are back. Pitt’s head coach has mostly whiffed on his last two transfer QBs (Kedon Slovis and Phil Jurkovec), so he needs to get this one right or else he could find himself in some hot water.
Narduzzi hired Western Carolina coordinator Kade Bell, believing the FCS offensive guru can spice up the Panthers’ dismal attack. Bell isn’t coming alone, either, bringing in multiple Catamounts assistants (OL, WRs coach) and WCU’s top tailback Desmond Reid and wideout Censere Lee (18.0 yards per catch, eight touchdowns) with him to Pitt.
SMU — Can Rhett Lashlee get his team ready for a leap in competition?
The Mustangs fully expect to be competitive in their move to a Power Conference this fall, and considering odds makers have handled them with a preseason win-total of 7.5, others around college football do, too.
Rhett Lashlee returns the bulk of a loaded offense that averaged 38.7 points per game last season, and he’s hit the portal hard once again to address needs at OL, DL and receiver (13 incoming Power 5 transfers). Can the reigning AAC Champions establish more depth this spring, which Lashlee told me was among his biggest concerns as the program makes the transition? He also plans to use this time of the calendar to pick the brains of the likes of mentor Gus Malzahn and Gary Patterson, two coaches who have successfully navigated moves to bigger conferences in recent years.
Stanford — Can Troy Taylor convince his team he can turn the program back into a winner?
The spring is all about buy-in for a Stanford program that continues to fall toward the nadir of Power Conference football teams. The Cardinal roster is in bad, bad shape, as second-year head coach Troy Taylor inherited an impossible situation and saw another 10 players leave the program this offseason, with three of his top players — tight end Ben Yurosek (Georgia), tailback EJ Smith (Texas A&M) and defensive lineman Jaxson Moi (Tennessee) — ending up in the SEC.
Taylor built a strong foundation at FCS Sacramento State, but now he must try to hold on to his remaining best players like wideout Elic Ayomanor (the No. 1 freshman wideout nationally in 2023) and outside linebacker David Bailey (six sacks) while fixing an offense (18.2 points per game in Pac-12 play, last in the league) and defense (last in yards per play, 13th in scoring allowed) that were both awful in Year 1.
Syracuse — Will Fran Brown look to add even more talent to the Orange roster post-spring?
The Orange are one of the most interesting new faces in new places for any program across the country this offseason, hiring Georgia cornerbacks assistant Fran Brown as head coach and bringing in all sorts of former blue-chip recruits as transfers (quarterback Kyle McCord, Alabama defensive lineman Isaiah Hastings, Texas A&M edge Fadil Diggs, LSU corner Darian Chestnut and a trio of former Bulldogs.
With a young, mostly African American staff getting first-time opportunities, there’s real excitement and buzz around Brown’s program. Syracuse has a fairly navigable schedule in 2024, too, so while the spring will be all about installing new systems and getting lots of newcomers acclimated, will Brown dive into the portal hard post-spring to continue to elevate the Orange roster?
Virginia — Will Tony Elliott pick a starter between Tony Muskett and Anthony Calandrea by the end of spring?
Tony Elliott is well-liked in Charlottesville, but with just six wins in two seasons, he enters Year 3 with some pressure to start winning some games — and that means he needs to get QB1 correct. Virginia’s offense made some strides offensively last season, particularly with freshman Anthony Calandrea running the show (8.0 yards per attempt, 13 touchdowns). But despite the offensive production uptick, Calandrea was just 1-6 as a starter. Meanwhile, Tony Muskett was benched early in a Week 1 loss to Tennessee, sat the pine for a month and then replaced the injured Calandrea during a four-game stretch where the Hoos went 2-2.
So who will Elliott opt to ride with into 2024? Will the Cavs have a clear-cut starter by the end of spring, or will the competition roll into training camp?
Virginia Tech — Can the Hokies continue to build on their late-season offensive momentum?
The Hokies are one of the nation’s top teams in terms of returning production, particularly on the offensive side of the football where 96% of the unit is back in 2024. Quarterback Kyron Drones became the go-to guy by midseason, and Brent Pry rode the redshirt freshman to a bowl win over Tulane.
Drones was awesome down the stretch, throwing for 10 touchdowns to just one interception over the last four games of the season (three Va. Tech wins). He also had two games during that period with over 135 yards rushing. The Hokies have a solid set of receivers, and tailback Bhayshul Tuten (863 yards, 10 touchdowns) is also back, so if the offense manages to find even more juice out of the unit this spring, Va. Tech could be a sleeper ACC contender come the fall.
Wake Forest — Is the Demon Deacons’ offensive line still a turnstile?
For the first time in eight years, Wake Forest missed a bowl game under longtime head coach Dave Clawson. While the Demon Deacons sorely missed quarterback Sam Hartman, the more glaring problem was an OL that couldn’t pass protect or run block. That’s an issue.
Wake Forest allowed an ACC-high 49 sacks last season. The offense also averaged just 3.34 yards per carry — 13th in the conference. That’s how you end up averaging only 20.3 points per game. Mitch Griffis transferred to Marshall, so Doeren will hold a QB battle between Michael Kern, who started the final three games, and Boise State transfer Hank Bachmeier, but it won’t matter much who is playing QB if the line play is just as porous.