2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

Miami went 13-3 and finished the season as national runner-up, losing to Indiana in the title game on a special-teams TD return — the inch that separated them from a championship. The receipts on the way: held Texas A&M to three points in the playoff, beat Ohio State by double digits, took Ole Miss to the wire in a one-score thriller.

The numbers backed it up. Miami had a top-three ACC offense and the conference's most disruptive front seven — they stuffed one in five opposing runs at the line of scrimmage. The most balanced team in the league on both sides of the ball.

Then the bill came due all at once. Mario Cristobal sent five players to the 2026 NFL Draft: three first-round picks (OT Francis Mauigoa #10, DE Rueben Bain Jr. #15, DE Akheem Mesidor R1), a third-round LT (Markel Bell #68), and his quarterback (Carson Beck #65). Both starting tackles, both starting defensive ends, and the QB — gone.

Returning Production · 4 O / 7 D (estimated)

WR Malachi Toney returns as one of the most dynamic players in all of college football— a high-volume do it all weapon out of the slot who can return punts, take a screen to the house, and even throw passes. RB Mark Fletcher Jr. is back to anchor the run game.

On the defensive interior, DTs Scott and Moten form what should still be one of the best tackle tandems in the country. Behind them, second-year edges Herbert Scroggins (a true freshman flash with natural pass-rush ability) and former 5-star Hayden Lowe (6-4, 250) step into bigger roles. LB Toure got an extra year of eligibility back and slots in to anchor the second level.

Transfer Portal Impact

Miami's portal class ranks #4 nationally on 247Sports composite. The headline pieces:

• QB Darian Mensah (Duke) — 3,973 yards, 34 TDs, 6 INTs in 2025. Second nationally in both yards and TDs. The best transfer QB in the country. Took Duke to a 7-5 ACC title; Cristobal essentially robbed last year's conference champion of its quarterback.
• WR Cooper Barkate (Duke) — Mensah's #1 target. 72 catches, 1,106 yards, 7 TDs. Both halves of Duke's passing game are now in Coral Gables.
• OT Jackson Cantwell (true freshman) — the #1 OT recruit in the country. Slots in for Mauigoa at right tackle.
• OT Jamal Meriweather (Georgia) — replaces Bell at the other tackle.
• EDGE Damon Wilson II (Missouri) — 9 sacks, 54 QB pressures (tied 10th nationally), 9.5 TFLs in 2025. 2nd-team All-SEC. Former 5-star recruit. #8 transfer composite.
• DL Keona Davis (Nebraska) — interior depth.
• WRs Vandrevius Jacobs and S Omar Thornton round out the skill influx.

2026 Outlook

The losses are real. Bain led the country in QB pressures (83) and added 9.5 sacks and 15.5 TFLs. Mesidor wasn't far behind — 67 pressures, 12.5 sacks, 17.5 TFLs. The best DE duo in the country. Both gone. Wilson II is excellent, but you don't replace 150 pressures with one transfer.

The reason Miami still tops this list is the offense. Mensah behind a Toney–Barkate WR room, with the ACC's best DT interior protecting the QB, is the highest-floor offensive package in the league. Cantwell at one tackle, Meriweather at the other — the trench reload looks more like reload than rebuild. The defense will be good, not historic.

Schedule-wise, the only true non-conference test is at Notre Dame in Week 10. The path to a third straight CFP appearance runs through that game and the ACC slate.

Position Group Grades

• QB: A

• WR corps: A+ (Toney + Barkate is a 2,000+ yard tandem)

• OL: B

• D-line: B+

• LBs: B−
• Secondary: B

• Coaching: A-

• Composite: A

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

Louisville went 9-4 and beat Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The story under the hood was lopsided.

The defense was elite — one of the ACC's three best at preventing points, with a top-tier stuff rate (one in five opposing runs killed at the line) and a front seven that disrupted plays at a 10.7% clip. The run game was the engine on offense: among the ACC's best at yards per carry, which is why Isaac Brown's decision to stay matters so much.

The passing offense, though, was the weakest attack of any team in this article. Both starting WRs went to the NFL Draft. The starting QB went too. Brohm's job for 2026 was to rebuild half the offense from scratch — and the portal lit up.

Returning Production · 3 O / 6 D (estimated)

RB Isaac Brown turned down the portal and returns as one of the top backs in the country — 884 yards, 7 TDs, 8.8 yards per carry in just nine games. Career-high 205 against Boston College, 102 on 10 carries in the bowl. Per-touch production was top-five nationally. Keyjuan Brown is back as the change-of-pace.

The rest of the offense is mostly new. LT Lance Robinson is the only returning starter on the offensive line; the other four spots got rebuilt through the portal. TE Skinner returns and could finally make the position a real factor in Brohm's passing game.

On defense, EDGE Clev Lubin is back after a breakout 2025: 8.5 sacks, 13.5 TFLs, 61 tackles. EDGE AJ Green also withdrew from the portal after 4 sacks, 6 TFLs, and a fumble-recovery TD last year. LB Antonio Watts rounds out the returning front-seven core. The back end retains key pieces from the unit that finished top-three in the ACC at preventing points.

Transfer Portal Impact

Brohm hit the portal hard — 30 transfers, ranked #5 nationally. The headline pieces:

• QB Lincoln Kienholz (Ohio State) — former 4-star recruit who was Will Howard's understudy on the 2024 national-title team. Mobile, escape-artist style. Brohm calls it "a dimension we haven't had here before." Two years of eligibility. The season hinges on this bet.
• WR Tre Richardson (Vanderbilt) — projected WR1 to replace both starters lost to the NFL Draft (Chris Bell, Caullin Lacy).
• S Koen Entringer (Iowa) — All-Big Ten safety, 73 tackles in 2025.
• Four DL portal additions to rebuild the front: Demeco Kennedy, Tommy Ziesmer, Joshua Donald, Daylen Russell.

2026 Outlook

The case for Louisville at #2 is the package. Brohm signed an 8-year extension before the offseason started, walked into the portal with the #5 class in the country, and gets back the ACC's best returning running back along with most of a top-three defense. The pieces are there.

The case against: Kienholz has never started a college game. The WR room is functionally new. If Kienholz hits the way Brohm's transfer QBs usually do, Louisville's ceiling is a playoff appearance. If he doesn't, this is an 8-9 win team riding Brown's back.

Schedule-wise, the opener is a problem: Ole Miss in Atlanta in Week 1, with a new QB making his first start against an SEC defense. The annual rival, Kentucky in Lexington in Week 13, is the season-ending checkpoint.

Position Group Grades

• QB: B−

• RB: A+ (best RB room in the conference)

• WR corps: B
• OL: C+

• D-line: A- (Lubin and Green return on the edge; four portal adds for interior depth)

• LBs: B+
• Secondary: B

• Coaching: A

• Composite: B+

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

SMU posted a strong two-way profile in 2025. They had a top-3 passing offense and the best run defense in the ACC — opponents averaged −0.075 PPA per rushing play against them, the league's #1 mark. The front seven was the strength: Miyazono and Kilgore at LB, an interior front that absorbed everything anyone threw at it on the ground.

The vulnerability was the secondary. Opponents completed 43.2% of pass plays for a positive result (4th-worst in the conference) and converted on passing downs at a 32.9% clip — the secondary kept big plays in front of it but bled efficient yards through the air. Most of the points SMU gave up came one chunk-pass at a time.

They closed the year with a 24-19 win over Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, the program's first bowl trophy in 13 years. The front seven did this without Elijah Roberts (2025 NFL Draft) and returns mostly intact for 2026 — the secondary is the unit being rebuilt around two G5 portal additions.

Returning Production · 6 O / 5 D (estimated)

QB Kevin Jennings declined the NFL Draft and returns for his senior year. His 2025: 3,641 passing yards, 26 TDs, 13 INTs, 66.1% completion, plus 4 rushing TDs. He's now top-3 in SMU history with 7,985 career passing yards. Continuity at QB — in a conference where four of the top contenders are starting transfers.

OT PJ Williams returns to anchor the offensive line. WR Yamir Knight is back as the leading returning receiver. LBs Brandon Miyazono and Alex Kilgore keep the second level intact.

Transfer Portal Impact

SMU's portal class wasn't headline-grabbing, but the additions filled specific holes:

• WR Yannick Smith (East Carolina) — all-conference-caliber addition to the receiver corps.
• RB Kendrick Raphael (California) — backfield depth.
• DBs Jimmy Wyrick (UTSA) + Jarvis Lee (South Florida) — secondary reinforcement.

17 high school recruits round out the class, with seven projected as skill-position contributors.

2026 Outlook

SMU is the lowest-variance contender in the league. They've already played in an ACC title game (2024), already finished 6-2 in conference last year, and they don't carry the "if this transfer hits" caveat that most of the league does. Jennings is a known top-15 quarterback. The front seven is genuinely elite. Rhett Lashlee has built a culture that doesn't lose to teams it shouldn't.

The one swing variable: can the rebuilt secondary plug the leak? If Wyrick (UTSA) and Lee (USF) hold up, SMU is a 10-2 floor team. If opponents continue to pass efficiently against them, the record could slip.

Schedule-wise, the marquee non-conference test is at Notre Dame in Week 12 — late enough that the whole country will be watching. Win that and the playoff resume builds itself.

Position Group Grades

• QB: A-

• RB: C+
• WR corps: B
• OL: B+
• D-line: A−
• LBs: A−
• Secondary: C+
• Coaching: A
• Composite: B+

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

Pitt finished 8-5 (6-2 ACC), and the advanced numbers liked them more than the record did. The defensive front led the ACC in creating chaos — sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles — and was second-best in the conference at stuffing run plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.

The offense wasn't elite, but when they hit on a play, they hit hard: their explosive-play rate (the share of plays that gained 15+ yards) was top-3 in the conference. The story on that side of the ball, though, was Mason Heintschel's mid-season takeover. The true freshman became the first ACC freshman with 300 passing yards and 4 TDs in a debut start since Deshaun Watson in 2014, and went 6-2 as the starter the rest of the way.

Returning Production · 6 O / 5 D (estimated)

QB Mason Heintschel is back for Year 2 after a true freshman season that earned Shaun Alexander Freshman-of-the-Year semifinalist honors: 2,354 yards, 16 TDs, 8 INTs, 63.6% completion, plus 348 rushing yards and 2 scores. His 423-yard game vs NC State set a Pitt freshman record. The bet on him is the bet on Pitt at #4.

Up front, the entire DE rotation returns: Jaeden Moore, Jimmy Scott, and Isaiah Neal. The offensive line retains starting guards Carretta and BJ Williams, with Keith Gouveia back from a medical redshirt. TE Max Hunt is the lone returning scholarship tight end.

At the second level, LB Braylan Lovelace (80 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2 INTs) is the only returning starter — and that's the problem.

Transfer Portal Impact

Narduzzi enrolled 16 transfers, with the linebacker rebuild as the central project:

• LB Alex Sanford Jr. (Purdue) — started 9 games in 2025, 46 tackles.
• LB DeMarco Ward (Memphis) — 22 career appearances, rotational depth.
• WR Malik Knight (Western Carolina) — projected starter at receiver.
• TE Elijah Lagg (UAB) + Carson Kent (Oklahoma) — depth behind Hunt.
• QB Holden Geriner (Texas State) — backup behind Heintschel.

Two more defensive linemen and two defensive backs round out the defensive portal class.

2026 Outlook

The LB losses are the central question. Kyle Louis declared for the NFL Draft, and All-ACC starter Rasheem Biles transferred to Texas. Replacing them with a Purdue starter and a Memphis backup is a noticeable downgrade — Pitt will need too find a way too replace that production

The case is everything else: the DE rotation is fully intact, Heintschel's Year-2 leap is the most underdiscussed quarterback storyline in the league, and Narduzzi's program is biult on a strong defensive front 7. The ceiling is a 10 win team if the LB rebuild lands and Heintschel grows the way he should — closer to 8 if either piece slips.

Schedule-wise, the non-conference is mid-tier — the toughest test is vs UCF in Week 2.

Position Group Grades

• QB: A-

• RB: B

• WR corps: B
• OL: B+
• D-line: A−
• LBs: C+
• Secondary: B−
• Coaching: B−
• Composite: B

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

Cal went 7-6 in their second ACC season and knocked off SMU in the regular season — one of the floor team's only conference losses — but lost the Big Game 31-10 to Stanford in late November. AD Ron Rivera fired head coach Justin Wilcox the next day after a 48-55 record over nine seasons.

The bright spot through it all was the freshman who never came off the field: QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele — the rare true freshman to win the opener and start every game — finishing with 3,454 passing yards, 18 TDs, 9 INTs, and at least 200 passing yards in every game of the season. He's the program's first true-freshman QB to do that.

Tosh Lupoi was hired December 4, just before Cal accepted a Hawaii Bowl bid. Cal alum (DL, 2000-05), four years as Oregon's defensive coordinator, walks in with the most stable QB situation any new ACC coach could ask for.

Returning Production · 3 O / 4 D (estimated)

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele returns after Lupoi flew to Hawaii to lock him in personally. Sophomore season with a year of Power 4 reps already banked.

OT Ruffins is the lone confirmed returning starter on the offensive line — the rest of the unit (which struggled in 2025) is being rebuilt through the portal. The defensive returners are limited too — Lupoi lost 32 players to the portal during the coaching change.

Transfer Portal Impact

Cal's portal class is #14 nationally / #2 in the ACC — the second-biggest reload in the conference behind only Miami:

• WR Ian Strong (Rutgers) — the most explosive transfer wideout in the conference; pairs with Hendricks for a 2,000-yard tandem ceiling.
• WR Chase Hendricks (Ohio) — 71 catches, 1,037 yards, 7 TDs in 2025.
• S Kingston Lopa (Oregon) — top-15 safety in the portal, follows Lupoi from Eugene.
• Seven defensive transfers from CFP teams — including DL Jericho Johnson (Oregon), Sheppard (Mississippi State), Williams (North Texas).
• Five OL transfers — Lewis (Miss State), Rivera (Kent State), Tafai (Minnesota), plus depth.
• QB Jackson Brosseau (Colorado State), RB Ashten Emory (UTEP).

34 total roster additions.

2026 Outlook

Lupoi inherits the rare reset where the QB is already in place and the portal money was spent on upgrades. The case is stacked: returning star QB, top-15 national portal class, real weapons at WR, and a head coach with elite defensive pedigree from his Oregon years.

The schedule is favorable by ACC standards. Only three top-tier ACC opponents — Clemson at home (Week 4), SMU on the road (Week 8), Pittsburgh in the finale (Week 13) — and they miss Miami AND Louisville entirely. The non-conference opener is vs UCLA in Week 1, which doubles as Lupoi's head-coaching debut.

The risks: Lupoi has never been a head coach before, the OL is mostly unproven, and the season opens against a Big Ten opponent. Realistic outcome: 9-3 with two road losses to top-tier ACC teams and one tossup that goes wrong.

Position Group Grades

• QB: A
• RB: C+
• WR corps: B
• OL: C+
• D-line: B
• LBs: B
• Secondary: B+
• Coaching: B−
• Composite: B

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

NC State went 8-5 in 2025 and won the Gasparilla Bowl to close on an upswing after a midseason wobble. The story was QB CJ Bailey's sophomore breakout — 3,105 passing yards and 25 touchdowns — emerging as one of just three proven returning QBs in the conference (alongside Sagapolutele and Heintschel).

Dave Doeren enters his 13th year in Raleigh — the longest tenured coach in the ACC by a wide margin. Stability is the foundation; the question is whether Bailey's growth can convert that floor into a real ceiling.

Returning Production · 5 O / 4 D (estimated)

QB CJ Bailey declined the portal and returns for his junior year. Bailey is the centerpiece — 25 TDs as a sophomore, with the Gasparilla Bowl performance as proof he can close out a season.

The skill positions around Bailey are largely a rebuild — most of the starting WRs are gone, with Hoffmann (returning sophomore) joined by portal transfers Chance Robinson (Miami) and Victor Snow (Buffalo). The defense saw heavy turnover too: 20 players exhausted eligibility and another 13 entered the portal — but the 2025 defense was middle-of-the-road, so the rebuild is closer to neutral than catastrophic.

Transfer Portal Impact

NC State enrolled 18 transfers — the strategy was Power 4 castoffs + Group of 5 stars, not headline names:

• OT Jimarion McCrimon (East Carolina) — first-team All-American Conference. The most accomplished addition; slots in immediately on the OL.
• DL Daniel Cruz (Texas) — former ESPN Top 300 recruit who never broke through at Texas. Talent reclamation play.
• EDGE Harvey Dyson III (Tulane) — led the American Conference with 8 sacks, 11 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles in 2025.
• TE Hunter Provience (Montana State) — won the FCS national title last year; brings winning rep.
• QB Tad Hudson (Coastal Carolina) — backup behind Bailey with two years of eligibility.

The class isn't headline-grabbing nationally, but every position need was addressed.

2026 Outlook

The case for NC State is built on schedule + QB stability. They have the easiest top-tier slate of any contender — only Louisville as a top-tier ACC opponent, and they get them at home (Week 5). They miss Miami, Pitt, Clemson, and SMU entirely. The marquee non-conference test is @ Vanderbilt in Week 3 as the lone road SEC test.

Bailey returning is the single biggest advantage in the league outside of Mensah at Miami — three of the ACC's four hardest-to-replace QBs are stable in 2026, and Bailey is one of them.

Realistic outcome: 10-2 with the lone non-conf loss at Vanderbilt; ceiling is 11-1 if Bailey hits another level and they steal the Vandy game. Either way, the schedule + QB combination puts them on the playoff bubble.

Position Group Grades

• QB: A−
• RB: B−
• WR corps: B−
• OL: B+
• D-line: B
• LBs: C+
• Secondary: C+
• Coaching: B
• Composite: B

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

Virginia delivered the program's first 11-win season ever and the best ACC regular-season record (7-1). The advanced stats were uneven: the offense was middle-of-the-pack in down-to-down efficiency but elite when it landed a haymaker — top-3 in the conference in explosive-play rate. The defense was average at preventing points and below-average at creating havoc with its pass rush.

The team punched above its underlying metrics on the back of Chandler Morris's hot stretch. Morris was denied a 7th year by the NCAA after a lawsuit failed. He's gone.

Returning Production · 6 O / 8 D (estimated)

The offensive line is the strength of the returning core: LT McKale Boley, LG Noah Josey, RG Drake Metcalf all return as starters. Monroe Mills and Makilan Thomas — both projected starters in 2025 before season-ending injuries — return as well, giving Virginia a deep, veteran front. WR Jahmal Edrine returns (46 catches, 564 yards, 1 TD).

The defense is functionally intact. LBs Maddox Marcellus, Kam Robinson, and Landon Danley all return — Marcellus withdrew from the transfer portal to stay. DBs Ethan Minter, Corey Costner, and Ja'Maric Morris are back. DL Billy Koudelka and Darrion Henry-Young anchor the front. The unit that was middle-of-the-road in 2025 returns essentially unchanged.

Transfer Portal Impact

The QB room had to be rebuilt from scratch. The replacements:

• QB Beau Pribula (Missouri) — graduate transfer, the projected starter. 1,941 passing yards, 11 TDs, 9 INTs, 67.4% completion at Missouri last year as a part-time starter.
• QB Eli Holstein (Pittsburgh) — backup, two years of eligibility. Was Pitt's starter through four games in 2025 (1,081 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs) before injury.

The 27-player portal class also added defensive backs and skill-position depth.

2026 Outlook

Tony Elliott just signed a three-year contract extension — the program is betting on continuity even with the QB turnover. The honest read: they're trying to recreate the Chandler Morris year without Chandler Morris. Pribula is a competent transfer with starter experience but isn't on Morris's level — and the 11-3 season was carried as much by Morris as anything else.

The OL continuity gives them a high floor. The defense returns essentially intact. The schedule is the kindest of any contender: only SMU as a top-tier ACC opponent, no Miami, no Louisville, no Pitt, no Clemson. The marquee non-conference test is West Virginia in Atlanta in Week 3.

Realistic outcome: 8-4 or 9-3, fighting for a quality bowl, with real upside if Pribula clicks early.

Position Group Grades

• QB: B
• RB: B−
• WR corps: B
• OL: A−
• D-line: B
• LBs: B+
• Secondary: B+
• Coaching: B
• Composite: B

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

Virginia Tech bottomed out at 3-9 in 2025. Brent Pry was fired in mid-September after an 0-3 start capped by a 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion. The reset that followed was the biggest swing in a generation: Penn State pushed James Franklin out in late October, and within three weeks the Hokies had hired him.

Franklin walked in with the strongest résumé any ACC coaching hire has had in years — 100+ career wins, multiple New Year's Six bowls, and a recruiting machine he's now turning toward Blacksburg. In a twist nobody saw coming, Pry was retained as Franklin's defensive coordinator — providing scheme continuity on that side while Franklin owns the cultural reset.

Returning Production · 3 O / 4 D (estimated)

RB Marcellous Hawkins announced his return as the offensive centerpiece — last year's starting back. WR Ayden Greene is back as a returning target who'll see heavy reps from Grunkemeyer.

The 27-transfer portal class means most positions are new. Pry's continuity at coordinator means the defensive scheme is preserved, even as much of the personnel changes.

Transfer Portal Impact

Franklin enrolled 27 portal transfers — the biggest single-class roster overhaul in the ACC. The class ranks #14 nationally on ESPN, #4 in the conference, and is heavily Penn State-flavored:

Penn State pipeline (8 transfers):

• QB Ethan Grunkemeyer — projected starter; unexpectedly replaced Drew Allar at Penn State late in 2025 and grew more comfortable by the week.
• TE Luke Reynolds — #2 TE in the entire portal per 247Sports. The headliner of the class. 6-4, 250.
• TE Matt Henderson — second PSU tight end, follows Franklin and OC Ty Howle.
• DL Daniel Jennings, DE Mylachi Williams, DE Cortez Harris, DT Randy Adirika — four-piece DL pipeline reload.
• LB Keon Wylie — 47 career tackles.

Other Power 4 quality additions:

• WR Que'Sean Brown (Duke) — 64 catches, 846 yards, 5 TDs in 2025. Legitimate WR1 production.
• DL Eric Mensah (Ohio State) — Power 4 starter pedigree.
• DE Javion Hilson (Missouri).
• DB Cam Chadwick (UConn) — expected immediate impact.
• QB Bryce Baker (UNC) — backup with two-deep starter potential; redshirt freshman.
• RB Bill Davis (Louisiana) — depth behind Hawkins.

Most signees have multiple years of eligibility remaining — Franklin built for 2026 and 2027.

2026 Outlook

The schedule is the cap. Four top-tier ACC opponents — at Pittsburgh, at Clemson, at SMU, at Miami — plus a Big Ten road test (@ Maryland Week 3). It's the second-toughest slate in the conference behind only Florida State.

Franklin's culture install is the upside. The 2025 floor was 3-9; the 2026 floor with Franklin's program-building rep + a Power-4-caliber portal class is several wins higher just on coaching alone. The QB room has two real options (Grunkemeyer + Baker), Hawkins is a known commodity at RB, and the TE room is one of the best in the conference.

Realistic outcome: 6-6 to 7-5 — a real bounce-back year, but the schedule prevents a top-15 finish in Year 1. Year 2 with Franklin is when the ceiling opens up.

Position Group Grades

• QB: B+

• RB: B
• WR corps: B
• OL: C+
• D-line: B
• LBs: B−
• Secondary: B−
• Coaching: B+
• Composite: B

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

Clemson finished 7-6 in 2025 — the program's worst record since 2010 — capped by losing Cade Klubnik to the NFL Draft (4th round, Jets, pick 110) along with most of the trenches. The decline was real, but the bones of the program — facilities, recruiting infrastructure, Dabo Swinney entering Year 17 — kept the 7-win floor in place.

The 2026 reset is the deepest in the conference: only 8 returning starters across the entire roster.

Returning Production · 4 O / 4 D (estimated)

The returning core is better than the "only 8 starters" headline suggests — and the WR room is the strength. Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore both return as starters and were the team's top two receivers in yardage in 2025. Tyler Brown, the redshirt junior who led Clemson in receiving yards as a freshman in 2023 before injuries derailed him, is back healthy and pushing for time.

At RB, sophomore Gideon Davidson is the expected starter coming off a strong spring game. The DE rotation keeps Will Heldt (the team's sack leader) and Jahiem Lawson — but the rest of the front lost four starters to the NFL Draft.

Transfer Portal Impact

Clemson enrolled 10 transfers — a record for Dabo Swinney, who historically signed only 2-3 portal players per year. The strategy was secondary depth + DL pass rush + a star LB:

• LB Luke Ferrelli (Cal) — ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. 91 tackles, 5 TFLs, 1 INT. The headliner.
• DT Markus Strong (Oklahoma) — anchors the interior.
• RB Chris Johnson Jr. (SMU) — speedster behind Davidson.
• Four secondary additions: S Jerome Carter (Old Dominion), S Corey Myrick (Southern Miss), CB Elliot Washington (Penn State), CB Donovan Starr (Auburn).
• Two DEs: London Merritt (Colorado), CJ Wesley (Howard).

The class is bigger than any Dabo has ever signed — a real philosophical shift after the 7-6 wake-up call.

2026 Outlook

The case is the schedule and the brand. Only Miami as a top-tier ACC opponent — they miss Louisville, SMU, and Pittsburgh entirely. Plus LSU in Week 1 and South Carolina in Week 13 as the marquee non-conference tests. By ACC schedule difficulty, this is one of the kindest slates in the conference for a team in rebuild mode.

The case against is everything else: untested QB (Vizzina, with true freshman Tait Reynolds reportedly pushing for the job in fall), an OL that lost 3 starters and didn't land an experienced transfer, and four NFL Draft picks gone from the defensive line.

Realistic outcome: 7-5 or 8-4 — Dabo's program floor is real, and the schedule mitigates the rebuild. Year 1 of the new portal era at Clemson will be a learning year.

Position Group Grades

• QB: C+
• RB: B
• WR corps: B+
• OL: C+
• D-line: B
• LBs: B+
• Secondary: B−
• Coaching: B+
• Composite: B−

2025 Recap & Advanced Stats

Georgia Tech went 9-4 in 2025 — the program's best record under Brent Key, built around Haynes King's Heisman-finalist season (10th in voting, ACC Player of the Year). The advanced stats matched the record on offense: balanced, capable of explosive plays.

The defense was a different story. Georgia Tech was one of the worst run defenses in the country, giving up big plays on the ground week after week. The 9-4 record happened in spite of the front seven, not because of it.

The reset is real. King is gone to the NFL Draft (along with 1st-round OT Keylan Rutledge), and so is offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner (to Florida) and offensive line coach Geep Wade (to Nebraska). New DC Blake Gideon — at 36, considered a rising star in the profession — runs the defense.

Returning Production · 4 O / 7 D (estimated)

The returning core is heavily defensive — but it's the same group that produced one of the worst run defenses in the country last year. All four linebackers return as seniors (Kyle Efford, EJ Lightsey lead the unit), alongside three returning starting cornerbacks (Daiquan White, Jonas Duclona, Kelvin Hill). On the DL, Noah Carter and Jordan Walker return as pass-rush options, with Vincent Carroll-Jackson anchoring the interior.

Offensively, OL Malachi Carney and Ethan Mackenny return as All-ACC performers — but they're rebuilding the rest of the line behind a new OL coach after losing 1st-round pick Rutledge to the NFL. RB Malachi Hosley returns to anchor the run game.

Transfer Portal Impact

Brent Key enrolled 19 transfers, with a heavy emphasis on size and trench depth — 9 OL/DL additions including 5 listed at over 300 pounds:

• QB Alberto Mendoza (Indiana) — projected starter; backup to his brother Fernando (the 2026 #1 NFL Draft pick) on Indiana's national-title run.
• RB Justice Haynes (Alabama/Michigan) — described as "elite" addition; pro-style fit under new OC George Godsey.
• TE Gabe Harris (Michigan/New Mexico State) — pass-catching depth.
• Nine OL/DL transfers — including five at 300+ pounds, addressing the Rutledge loss and DL size needs.
• Former 5-star Josh Petty projected as a potential OL starter.

2026 Outlook

The defense was a real weakness in 2025 — Georgia Tech was one of the worst run defenses in the country, allowing big plays on the ground week after week. Returning starters at LB and DL doesn't fix that on its own; it's the same group that allowed those numbers. The case for improvement is the new DC (Blake Gideon, the 36-year-old rising star) bringing a fresh scheme, plus 9 OL/DL portal additions to upgrade the trenches in raw size.

The schedule is the cap. 11 Power 4 games — the most of any ACC team in 2026. Three top-tier ACC opponents (Pitt, Clemson, Louisville) plus Tennessee + Georgia in non-conference. The annual Georgia game closes the season in Athens.

The QB question is the swing. Mendoza was Fernando's backup at Indiana — he's been in a winning program, but he's making his first college starts. If he hits, this is an 8-win team. If not, the schedule pushes them to 5-6 wins.

Realistic outcome: 6-6 to 7-5. The schedule won't allow a top-15 finish even with execution.

Position Group Grades

• QB: C+
• RB: B+
• WR corps: B−
• OL: B
• D-line: C
• LBs: C
• Secondary: B−
• Coaching: B
• Composite: B−