By TJ Chapman
In doing this series of top 5 quarterbacks heading into the Spring I found that the ACC was the easiest to pick the top 2 quarterbacks. The ACC selections had the best mix of each scenario of quarterback. There is a seasoned veteran who has been with his school since the start of his career, a former backup turned starter, a transfer this year from a Power Four school, a young up and comer, and one who transferred a few years ago and established himself as the starter.
As has been the case, there will be some names left off the top 5 list who will cause some debate. But, as has been stated before, I value experience and reps, not potential. Show me, don’t tell me.
No. 5: Haynes King, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
After staring his career at Texas A&M with Jimbo Fisher, King transferred to Georgia Tech and has flourished. Injuries at both schools have plagued King, but he has produced for the Yellow Jackets. King’s rushing abilities have complimented his passing game. Even after missing some time in 2024 due to multiple injuries, King completed an amazing 72.9 percent of his passes for 2,114 with 14 TDs and two INTs. On the ground King added 587 yards and 11 TDs. If King can stay healthy Georgia Tech may be a dark horse to keep an eye on in 2025.
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No. 4: Eli Holstein, Pitt Panthers
The 2024 season started hot for the Panthers and their redshirt freshman quarterback. Holstein won the first seven starts in his career before dropping a road game at SMU. Holstein won the starting job in fall camp, showing he can handle offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s up-tempo offense. Before injuries took over the end of his season, Holstein completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,225 yards with 17 TDs and seven INTs. After deducting 127 yards on 20 sacks, Holstein finished with 328 rushing yards and three rushing TDs. With All-American running back Desmond Reid back, Holstein may be able to lead the Panthers to a trip back to Charlotte, N.C. for the ACC Championship in 2025.
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No. 3: Carson Beck, Miami Hurricanes
Arguably the biggest name among ACC quarterbacks in 2025, Beck transferred to the Hurricanes from the Georgia Bulldogs. He suffered an injury in the SEC Championship game against Texas and never played another down for the Bulldogs. Beck transferred to Miami to be closer to his girlfriend, Hanna Cavinder. Speculation is they are no longer together. Now that we’ve peeled back the layers of the drama onion, we can get down to the reason Beck is currently at Miami—football. While at Georgia, Beck’s production was up and down. The receivers were not always the best, but Beck was able to make do with what he had. Beck’s completion percentage dipped to 64.7 percent in 2024, and his interceptions doubled from six to 12. But Beck has the size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, and the ability to be successful at Miami. In 2024 Beck threw for 3,485 yards and 28 TDs. Miami’s receiver room is very young, which means we will find out if Carson Beck is a legit NFL prospect or not.
No. 2: Kevin Jennings, SMU Mustangs
When Jennings was finally handed the keys to coach Rhett Lashlee’s offense he made sure there was no doubt who the true starting quarterback is for SMU. Jennings battled with previous starter Preston Stone over the last two seasons before getting the starting job for good when he replaced Stone during a week three game against BYU. As the starter, Jennings won nine straight games and led the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff. Jennings completed 65.0 percent of his passes for 3,245 yards with 23 TDs and 11 INTs. Although he prefers throwing to running, Jennings can hurt defenses with his legs. He chipped in 354 rushing yards and five rushing TDs last season. While there has been some turnover in the receiver room, SMU has enough weapons around Jennings to make another playoff run.
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No. 1: Cade Klubnik, Clemson Tigers
The choice of Klubnik as the top quarterback in the ACC is not debatable. In 2024, Klubnik showed why he was such a highly-rated recruit coming out of high school. In most cases, five-star quarterbacks don’t live up to the hype, but Klubnik made sure to flip that script about him. His passing ability was never in question but in 2024 Klubnik added a strong rushing game to his arsenal. He finished second on the team in both rushing yards with 463 and rushing TDs with seven. His 50-yard run to seal a road win at Pitt with just over one minute to play was huge for the Tigers while showcasing his ability to run. But don’t forget that Klubnik is an elite passer as well. He completed 63.4 percent of his passes in 2024 for 3,639 yards with 36 TDs and six INTs. The top three receivers are back for Clemson in 2025 so another run at the CFP is not out of the question.
Notable Omissions
Tommy Castellanos, Florida State Seminoles. Better runner than passer, may benefit from the switch to Mike Norvell’s offense. Miller Moss, Louisville Cardinals. Ineffective at times last year at USC which led to him being benched in early November. Max Johnson, North Carolina Tar Heels. Now on his third team, injuries have plagued his career. Chandler Morris, Virginia Cavaliers. He is also on his third team. Mixed results while at Power Four schools, great start to 2024 at North Texas but fizzled in the end.
