The ACC Football kickoff has passed and now fall camp begins. As August approaches the season is around the corner and players and teams had plenty to say at Media day. So what was learned from the media sessions? Who are the favorites? What teams are sleepers? Here are the lessons learned from Media days.
The Favorites:
Florida State: The Seminoles return some key pieces from a 13-1 2023 campaign while adding some high end talent in the transfer portal. The recruiting has ticked up for the Noles as well. Florida State has loaded up again and Mike Norvell has built a winning culture in Tallahassee. How far Florida State goes will depend on how DJ Uiagalelei acclimates himself and performs. The former Clemson quarterback will have plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Clemson: The Tigers should compete for the ACC Championship again if Cade Klubnik can elevate his play under his second season with Garrett Riley. The Tigers will be challenged off the gate with a match up with the Georgia Bulldogs and have key conference games with NC State and at Florida State.
Contenders:
Miami Hurricanes: Miami has recruited strongly in recent years but can Mario Cristobal finally get the results on the field? Miami has to prove it on the field.
Louisville: The Cardinals did very well in the transfer portal after getting to the ACC Championship game last season. If things well it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Cardinals competing for the ACC Championship again.
NC State: The Wolfpack have been solid the last several seasons and have owned rival UNC. The question for the Wolfpack is can they take the next step
Sleeper:
SMU: The Mustangs were one of the stronger Group of 5 teams and are welcoming the challenging of competing in a Power 4 conference. Rhett Lashley will bring a lot of talent on offense and it wouldn't be a surprise if SMU finishes in the top 5 of the final ACC Standings.
Can UNC Finish the season?
Head coach Mack Brown has emphasized finishing the season strong after the Heels have fizzled out in the month of November the last several seasons. Mack Brown says he will use more depth to keep his guys fresh as the season goes on. Will this new philosophy lead to different results for the Tar Heels?
New Era at Duke:
Out is Mike Elko and in comes Manny Diaz. Elko made the Blue Devils a respectable team the last few seasons so it will be up to Manny Diaz to continue to have the Blue Devils trend upward. Riley Leonard has moved on to Notre Dame but Duke has brought in former Texas QB Maalik Murphy. Murphy has a lot of arm talent and could bring a different element to the Duke offense.
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