ACC Spotlight: Early Signing Period predictions
With the start of the Early Signing Period less than two months away, the team rankings picture is starting to clear. Today, Rivals.com takes a look at how things might shake out in the ACC. Below, is an exploration of which teams might shine, surprise and disappoint when prospects start signing letters of intent in December.
RELATED: Predictions for the Early Signing Period in the Big Ten | SEC predictions
Conference champion: Clemson
Players that commit to Clemson tend to sign with Clemson, which is a departure from the norm in 2018. That’s to say there’s no reason the Tigers will see disaster strike its class between now and Signing Day. It’s why they have to be considered the odds-on favorite to win the ACC recruiting title.
Dabo Swinney already has 12 four-star prospects in the fold and could add a five-star or two before all is said and done. If the Tigers beat out conference rival Florida State (and others) for five-star athlete Quavaris Crouch and land five-star offensive lineman Clay Webb, there’s no telling how high the program’s recruiting ranking could rise.
Program that will surprise: Florida State
The only team with any real shot of toppling Clemson and taking the ACC recruiting crown, Florida State hasn’t missed a beat on the trail under Willie Taggart. The Seminoles currently boast a higher average star ranking than the Tigers, so it’s not as though FSU is some long shot.
Taggart and company already have a five-star in the fold and are in the thick of the race to land No. 5 overall prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux, a five-star defensive end from California. FSU won’t surprise in the way that nobody expects them to land a highly regarded class, but stealing both Thibodeaux and the ACC recruiting title would be quite a coup.
Program that will disappoint: Virginia Tech
It's a pretty good year for talent in Virginia, despite the 2019 class nationally being a bit down from the previous years, and the Hokies have not capitalized on their advantage as an in-state program. Of the top 14 players in the state rankings, only one (Tayvion Robinson) is committed to the Hokies. To make matters worse, two of the state's top players (Cam'Ron Kelly and Tayvion Land) were previously committed to Virginia Tech but decommitted earlier in the recruiting cycle and the Hokies just lost a commitment from Boston Everett athlete Mike Sainristil earlier this week.
Virginia Tech has a chance to win the ACC Coastal division and go to the ACC Championship Game for the second time in three years, but the Hokies aren't in a position to capitalize on that potential on-field success, because this recruiting class is limited by tight scholarship numbers. They currently have 17 commitments and don't have room for many more. Finishing outside the top five in the conference team rankings for the first time since the 2016 recruiting class is a real possibility.
