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The 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) football season is shaping up to be one of the most dynamic and competitive in recent memory. With the introduction of Stanford, California, and SMU into the conference at the introduction of the 2024 Season, the ACC now boasts one of the largest conferences in all of college football, each vying for long-term supremacy in a newly restructured scheduling format. We also witnessed the downfall of traditional divisions within the ACC which was replaced by a 3-5-5 model, ensuring that every team faces each other at least twice over a four-year cycle and alleviate the concerns of long-term strength of schedule discrepancies within individual conferences.
The ACC continues its reputation as a quarterback powerhouse. Six ACC quarterbacks are ranked in my Top 25 QB Rankings entering this season, headlined by Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, who threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns last season, and Miami’s Carson Beck, a transfer from Georgia who was seen as a first round NFL Draft Pick this time last season.
We also can’t mention quality QB play within the ACC without mentioning other key playmakers that will play a key role in the overall pecking order of the ACC this fall. The most notable has to be Kevin Jennings, who returns after leading SMU in its inaugural season of Power Conference Football to an ACC Championship Appearance plus a trip to College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. Then there’s Miller Moss, an Bowl Game Darling back in 2023 who was disappointing for USC last season but still provides a potent arm for an offense that already projects to be an exciting unit for Louisville this fall. And of Course, how can we forget about Darian Mensah who joins the Duke Blue Devils after lighting things up for Tulane last fall plus Haynes King who provides the leadership and toughness to potentially lead Georgia Tech to a breakout campaign!
In addition, The ACC also welcomes fresh leadership on the sidelines of multiple programs. However, one of the most intriguing developments of not only the ACC but in all of college football has to be the hiring of NFL legend Bill Belichick as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. His extensive experience and strategic acumen are expected to bring a new level of discipline and innovation to a program that has struggled to escape mediocrity over the past few years under Mac Brown.
With a blend of seasoned veterans, emerging talents, and top-notch coaching, the 2025 ACC football season promises to deliver excitement and high-level competition across the board.
So with all that in mind, let’s take a look at where I personally believe each ACC Team stands entering the upcoming football season:
While Frank Reich is a strong choice to become interim coach for 2025, the Cardinal are going to have a hard time escaping the bottom of the barrel not only in the ACC but in Major College Football in general.
Jake Dickert takes over a team that only has 6 returning starters from a disappointing 4-8 campaign. Therefore, he’ll have a significant amount of work to do on both sides of the ball BUT watch out for Demond Claiborne (HB) who could shine for the Demon Deacons this fall.
With the addition of North Texas Transfer Chandler Morris among other key additions from the transfer portal, this could be the best team that Tony Elliot has had since arriving in Charlottesville. Reaching a bowl game for the first time since 2021 is definitely in the realm of possibility for the Cavaliers.
Cal could be considered one of the bigger losers of the offseason with the amount of losses sustained in the transfer Portal. However, the roster isn’t completely hopeless in 2025. Ohio State Transfer Devin Brown and True Freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele are currently battling for the starting job. Plus, the defensive side of the ball also brings back Cade Uluave who will serve as one of the leaders of the Bears Defense.
It’s important for Bill O’Brien to address holes along the offensive line and replace the production of Donovan Ezeriauku. That’s all before even accounting for the loss of Thomas Castellanos at the Quarterback Position.
With Kyle McCord now in the NFL and a more difficult schedule to navigate, matching the 10-win campaign that Fran Brown achieved in Year 1 will be tough. He does however have some fascinating options in LSU Transfer Rickie Collins and Notre Dame Transfer Steve Angeli who will compete for the starting Quarterback Job.
Between Potential Breakout Candidate CJ Bailey and potential All-American Justin Joly, this offense should be electric in 2025! However, can new defensive coordinator DJ Eliot address the multiple question marks on the defensive side of the ball?
With Bill Belichick now leading this program, North Carolina instantly becomes one of the most fascinating teams to watch in all of College Football. While the Team is a complete mystery heading into the season, they also have a schedule that opens the door for a potential CFP Appearance if everything goes right this fall.
This was a team that was on a tear to start 2024 before injuries to Eli Holstein and Desmond Reid seized all momentum. Thankfully, both key players have fully recovered and are ready to go for 2025. Accompanied by a strong defense, this team is more than capable of being a Darkhorse within the ACC and surpassing preseason expectations.
Manny Diaz surpassed initial expectations at Duke by leading the Blue Devils to a 9-win season last year. With Tulane Transfer Darian Mensah now coming onto campus to run the offense and a well-coached defense, they could mess around and do that again this year.
Brent Pry might be on the hot seat with how disappointing 2024 was. Perfect Time to break in multiple new coordinators and all but four returning starters! Even with all the uncertainty, the health of Kyron Drones is critical if the Hokies want to surpass expectations for this year.
Surely things can’t get any worse than last year’s 2-10 season…. Right? Mike Norvell made several significant changes to the program including bringing in multiple new coordinators and several key transfer additions such as Boston College Transfer Thomas Castellanos. For Coach Norvell’s sake, hopefully all those changes lead to a bounce back season.
This might be the year where we see the Georgia Tech Program breakout under Brent Key. They have one of the most dynamic backfields in the ACC with Haynes King and Jamal Haynes. Plus, the defense should also be improved under new defensive coordinator Blake Gideon.
If Miller Moss can live up to the expectations from his 2023 Holiday Bowl performance and the defense also shows signs of improvement? Jeff Brohm could very well have the Cardinals playing for the ACC Championship at the end of the Regular Season.
SMU isn’t going to fly under the radar like they did last season. However, Rhett Lashlee’s squad has the potential to be back in the CFP with Kevin Jennings returning for 2025.
Miami’s hopes for an ACC title run largely hinge on Georgia Transfer Carson Beck recovering from an elbow injury sustained in the SEC Championship last fall. On defense, the addition of new coordinator Corey Hetherman and several transfer pickups at each level should bolster a unit that struggled last season.
The Tigers reclaimed their spot atop the ACC last season and are well-positioned to push for a national title this fall. Quarterback Cade Klubnik returns alongside one of the country’s best receiving groups, and the defense looks stacked under new coordinator Tom Allen.
