By Luke Brumm
With the 2024 regular season over, we take a look back at ACC teams under and overachieving, alongside the conference’s best player, best freshman, and best coach.
Underachievers
Florida State (2-10)
This team was flat-out horrible. It felt like that Georgia game from last year kicked off and then didn’t end until the final whistle vs. Florida a couple of weeks ago. It was just a constant beating for a year straight. I like Mike Norvell and believe he can turn it back around, but boy, does he have his work cut out for him.
Virginia Tech (6-6)
All I heard all offseason was how Virginia Tech was everyone’s sleeper team in the ACC. I even bought into it a little, but was quickly proven wrong after their week one loss to Vanderbilt. Kyron Drones was underwhelming, only accumulating ten passing touchdowns and throwing six picks in nine games. I think we may have just been a year early on the Hokies, but even that may not happen with a larger transfer portal exodus.
North Carolina State (6-6)
NC State is another team I hear about every year as either a sleeper or a team that has “taken the next step”. They seem to have the pieces, but can never truly put them together. This season was no different, as they ended up 6-6 and out of the conference and playoff picture. Their star wide receiver KC Concepcion disappointed, now in the transfer portal, and their starting QB Grayson McCall had to retire mid-season. All around, 2024 was another to forget for Wolfpack fans.
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Overachievers
SMU (11-2)
The Pony Express is in full swing as SMU is back on the main stage of college football for the first time since their glory days in the early 80s. Head coach Rhett Lashlee moved on early from QB Preston Stone in favor of Kevin Jennings and it seems to have worked out great. SMU went undefeated in conference and are in the College Football Playoff.
Syracuse (9-3)
Syracuse just went 9-3 with a first-year head coach. Fran Brown came over from Georgia and made an immediate impact. He had a lot of help from Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord, the nation’s leader in completions and passing yards. Syracuse upset Miami in the last game of the season to knock them out of the ACC Championship and CFP. I’m interested to see if the Orange are able to continue to get some good transfers and build something there, given the impact of recruiting in Brown’s first offseason.
Duke (9-3)
Duke is another team with a first-year head coach and transfer quarterback. They also went 9-3 as well. Manny Diaz and Maalik Murphy were huge for them and helped them stay afloat and thrive after Mike Elko and Riley Leonard left in the offseason. Unfortunately, Maalik Murphy has surprisingly hit the portal as well following this season, so the Blue Devils will most likely need to bring in another QB.
Player of the Year
Miami QB Cam Ward
The Heisman finalist lit up defenses all year and led the Hurricanes to their best season since 2003. Cam Ward put up 4,123 yards and 36 touchdowns and only threw 7 interceptions. They just came up short on the road vs a good Syracuse team in the last week or else they would have been playing for an ACC Championship and most likely would be in the Playoff. Ward looks to be a top 15 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a Jayden Daniels-type rookie season.
Freshman of the Year
Clemson LB Sammy Brown
Sammy Brown is a linebacker from Jefferson, Georgia who has been great for the Tigers so far. He has rotated in very well with the talented Clemson linebacker corp and has been making plays since day one. He has recorded 70 total tackles and 5 sacks so far and he’s not done. He helped Clemson reach the CFP again and they will look to get past the Texas Longhorns on the road. I like the matchup between this defense and that explosive Texas offense.
Coach of the Year
SMU HC Rhett Lashlee
This one was an obvious choice as nobody expected a season like this from SMU. Lashlee and the Mustangs have surprised all in their first year as a power conference school and were a play or two away from winning the ACC in their first season, which they made with an 8-0 conference record. Even though they narrowly lost, they still made the College Football Playoff and will head to Penn State on Saturday. They have an elite passing game that could cause some problems for whoever they have to play moving forward.
