ACC Spotlight: Five big questions about the 2024 cycle
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman takes a look at some of the biggest questions surrounding ACC programs and the 2024 recruiting cycle. That includes the potential flips of a few prospects committed elsewhere, a tightening battle for the ACC recruiting crown and much more.
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1. Can Miami overtake Florida State to win the ACC recruiting title?
On-field blunders aside, Mario Cristobal and his staff are in position to potentially win the ACC recruiting title this year. The addition of top-40 prospect Ny Carr is a massive boost and he may not be the last highly-ranked prospect to commit to or flip to Miami.
Zavier Mincey, LJ McCray and, to a lesser extent, Jordan Seaton, Eddy Pierre-Louis and Aydin Breland are the uncommitted prospects Miami fans should keep an eye on. Mincey has been to Miami multiple times but the other in-state schools along with Alabama are involved.
McCray seems to be leaning toward Florida or Georgia at this point and a decision could be coming soon but Miami has been known to make a splash, even though it appears to be trailing.
Miami is in a similar situation with Seaton, Pierre-Louis and Breland. The Canes are trailing in each of these races but there's still more than two months until National Signing Day.
As for potential flip targets, Miami has its eye on plenty of big names. The biggest is Ohio State commit Jeremiah Smith, the No. 2 prospect in the Rivals250. Smith has been taking a number of visits but maintains his commitment to Ohio State is solid. Speaking of Ohio State, keep an eye on Buckeye running back commit Jordan Lyle, who has visited Miami multiple times this season. Florida linebacker commit Adarius Hayes is another potential flip target for the Canes. He was just on campus and it seems like they could be picking up some momentum.
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2. Will LJ McCray spurn the SEC for the ACC?
The Rivals250 defensive lineman from Florida has been in the spotlight for much of the season and now he is nearing a decision. Miami is very involved in his recruitment but he's coming off an official visit to Florida State and the Seminoles seem to have improved their position.
That being said, the Canes and 'Noles are chasing Florida and Georgia in the race for McCray's commitment. McCray wants to commit sometime around his birthday on Oct. 18 so a decision could be coming very soon. With National Signing Day more than two months away, there is still plenty of time for teams to jockey for position behind the scenes, regardless of whichever school he commits to this month.
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3. Can Florida State land former Auburn commit Jalewis Solomon?
South Carolina was the favorite to land Jalewis Solomon when he initially announced his commitment in August but Auburn pulled ahead at the last minute. Now that Solomon is back on the market, it appears South Carolina is trending again but Florida State is very much in the mix.
The Seminoles got Solomon on campus earlier this year and there is still time before NSD to make a move in his recruitment. He is scheduled to visit South Carolina this weekend and if he makes it out of the weekend without committing, Florida State has a real shot to make a splash in his recruitment.
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4. Where are the front seven standouts on defense?
It's not like the ACC as a whole is known for recruiting a ton of highly-ranked players on the defensive line or at linebacker but this 2024 class is in a dire state. Only five Rivals250 front seven prospects are committed to ACC programs. Just five for the entire conference. That's the lowest figure among the Power Five conferences and half of the total the ACC signed last year.
Predictably, the five elite front seven defenders committed to ACC programs have pledged to either Clemson or Miami. In the 2023 class, Miami and Clemson also led the way with Louisville joining the party.
There are only 10 uncommitted Rivals250 defensive linemen and linebackers remaining so there aren't many options for teams that don't flip a prospect. LJ McCray, KingJoseph Edwards and Booker Pickett are just a few names to track but the situation is looking bleak.
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5. Is this year going to be an all-time low for offensive line signees?
The 2024 class of offensive linemen nationally is trending toward being historically bad but that doesn't necessarily mean it has to be for the ACC. Although, it seems like that could be the case too.
Florida State commit Jonathan Daniels is the lone Rivals250 offensive lineman pledged to an ACC program. There aren't any others. That's an incredible figure considering the ACC recruiting footprint and the varying styles of offense the teams in the league employ.
The transfer portal is playing a major role in offensive line recruiting – maybe more so than any other position – but that doesn't mean ACC teams should just disregard the highly ranked offensive linemen in favor of developmental prospects.