It’s time. This is the point in the summer where we start ranking players in the ACC at their respective positions. Enjoy as we start moving towards the college football season.
Previous and Upcoming Rankings
Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Offensive Linemen | Tight Ends | Defensive Linemen |Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties | Special Teams
1) Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Deshaun Watson being the ACC’s top returning QB was an easy call. He’s the top returning QB in the entire country. Watson threw for over 4,000 yards, and ran for 1,000 yards while leading Clemson to the national title game.
There he shredded Alabama’s highly ranked defense to pieces. He enters the 2016 as one of the pre-season Heisman Trophy candidates, and a pre-season All-American. He’s everything you’d want in a quarterback – athletic, smart, and a leader.
2) Brad Kaaya, Miami
Here’s what you need to know about Brad Kaaya. He’s a potential 1st or 2nd round NFL pick. Scouts love his 6’4″ size and feel for the game. Last season he threw for 3,238 yards and 16 touchdowns. How about these quotes from an ESPN article discussing Kaaya from an ACC Head Coach - ”He’s probably the best pure passer in the ACC. Here’s what an ACC Assistant coach said - ”I don’t think you can stop him. Kaaya is going to play for a long time. He’s the model NFL quarterback.”
Those are some strong compliments. I’m expecting Kaaya to have a great year under new Miami head coach Mark Richt.
3) Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Lamar Jackson is the heir apparent to the ACC’s recent run of great QB’s following FSU’s Jameis Winston and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. He totaled over 450 yards in the Music City Bowl running and passing in leading the Louisville Cardinals to a Music City Bowl win over Texas A&M.
Only a sophomore, the sky is the limit for Jackson. Head coach Bobby Petrino knows how to coach quarterbacks, and if Jackson can improve his accuracy he could be a future All-American.
4) Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech
Going into the 2015 season, I had Justin Thomas right there with Deshaun Watson as the ACC’s top QBs. Last season turned into a disaster for Thomas and Georgia Tech as the Yellow Jackets went 3-9. Plagued by injuries across the Georgia Tech offense, and inconsistent blocking Thomas struggled at times. I just can’t get out of my mind how superbly he ran the Triple Option in 2014 though.
Thomas is a dynamic athletic that showed flashes last season of what we know he is capable of. If Georgia Tech can provide any semblance of blocking, he could have a great senior year.
5) Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina
I really had a hard time with the 5th choice. I nearly went with FSU’s Sean Maguire. Maguire is a good quarterback. He’s not a great QB, but he is capable of leading FSU to 10-11 wins, but he may not even be the starter at FSU this year. RS-Freshman Deondre Francois may be better, and he could end the season in the top 3 on this list, but he just hasn’t played in an actual game yet. That left me looking at UNC’s Mitch Trubisky.
Trubisky threw 47 passes last year, with just 7 in-completions. He’s accurate, mobile, and some people say he is better than star QB Marquise Williams who Trubisky is replacing. He’sbeen in Fedora’s system for a for 4 years, and I believe the junior Trubisky is going to thrive this season.
