ACC Spotlight: Five teams with the most recruiting buzz
About a month into the season is a good time to pump the brakes and see which schools really have the recruiting world’s attention. In the ACC, there are five schools that have a little more buzz than the rest.
RELATED: Five Big Ten teams with recruiting buzz | SEC teams
CLEMSON
How much more buzz could Clemson have? They have a top-four team in the AP Poll, a five-star freshman starting at quarterback, and a top-five recruiting class. On top of all that, Clemson has about five spots left to fill out this recruiting class and the Tigers are either the leader or one of the top contenders for the players that could fill those spots.
The biggest fish among this pool of players is five-star Quavaris Crouch, who just took a surprise unofficial visit to Clemson. He has a few other visits coming up, but Clemson has always been one of those schools hanging around for the big-time athlete out of Charlotte.
Keep an eye on Rivals250 Ole Miss commit Jerrion Ealy, because the Tigers are working hard to flip him. A couple offensive and defensive linemen are also among the candidates to commit to Clemson prior to Signing Day.
FLORIDA STATE
Fans may not be thrilled with how the on-field start of the Willie Taggart era has gone, but it doesn’t seem to have shaken the foundation of FSU recruiting. The Seminoles currently are 11th in the team recruiting rankings and are in play for five-star prospects Kayvon Thibodeaux and Quavaris Crouch, in addition to other high-profile targets.
If there’s any problem with the talent level in Tallahassee, Taggart seems well on his way to remedying it. If FSU finds a way to steal a marquee win or two down the stretch, it could give it the boost it needs to land one of the country’s best classes, as the program seems poised for a strong close.
NC STATE
Dave Doeren and his squad have been destroying the competition when it comes to recruiting in-state talent. Only four of their 21 total commitments are from outside North Carolina and one quarter of the players rated at least four-stars in North Carolina are committed to NC State. Quite an accomplishment for NC State.
The Wolfpack have done a great job capitalizing on their recent on-field success and they have the whole state talking. With only a couple spots in this recruiting class remaining, look for NC State to try to add a commitment from in-state three-star prospect J.R. Walker and a few others before signing day.
PITTSBURGH
The Panthers are off to a rough start, and it could well affect their recruiting momentum down the road. It hasn’t done so yet, however, so Pittsburgh lands on this list because of its yeomen’s work in Florida.
Of the program’s 18 commits in the 2019 class, six hail from the Sunshine State. Pat Narduzzi could add to that number in the coming months, as Pitt remains in play for four-star running back Daniel Carter and other South Florida-area stars.
The Panthers would be well served to turn around their current season, as the team’s current trajectory isn’t ideal for maintaining recruiting momentum. But it wouldn’t have been prudent to leave them off the list, considering the massive inroads the school has made in America’s most fertile talent hotbed.
VIRGINIA
The Cavaliers are third in their division and haven’t had the red hot start that would jump-start their recruiting efforts, but their top 40 recruiting class will help the program take that next step. The last time Virginia finished with a top 40 class was the 2013 recruiting cycle.
Rivals100 defensive tackle Jowon Briggs is the crown jewel of this recruiting class, but four-stars Ja’quay Hubbard and Hunter Stewart should help solidify the core of the team. The coaching staff has done a good job filling out this class with some intriguing athletes at various positions, too.
Bronco Mendenhall and his staff, for the most part, didn’t have many strong relationships in the state when they took over, but high school coaches and players are starting to feel more comfortable around them. It doesn’t necessarily show with only three in-state commitments in this class right now, but they might try to fill out the four or five remaining spots in this class with in-state prospects.
