Early Signing Period: ACC Report Card
The Early Signing Period has come and gone and each team dealt with its own set of challenges due to the coaching carousel, lack of available scholarships or complications from the transfer portal. Here is a report card for how each ACC team's recruiting class fared now that we're through the Early Signing Period.
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MORE ON EARLY SIGNING PERIOD: Focus shifts to February | Notable prospects signing late | Five surprises | Five disappointments | Winners and losers | The Gorney awards | Travis Hunter spurns Florida State, signs with Jackson State | Breaking down team rankings | Where will Deion's next job be? | How teams announced their signees | Top 10 storylines of Late Signing Period | Ten best still available | NSD Blog | Ten biggest flips of NSD | Top Group of Five signees | Decompressing after a hectic Early Signing Period
Boston College (third ACC, 29th nationally)
Jeff Hafley and his staff have put together Boston College's highest-ranked recruiting class since 2004. It's also impressive that, in this class of 20 signees, there are 12 different states represented. With one rankings update still to go, receiver Joseph Griffin and defensive back Sione Hala are the only two four-stars in this class so far.
Reloading on the defensive line was a priority in this class, and Boston College seems to have addressed that with six signees across the defensive front. Defensive tackle Kwan Williams and defensive end Clive Wilson are two of the higher-rated prospects in this class. The coaching staff is very high on tight end Matt Ragan as well.
Grade: B
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Clemson (fifth ACC, 37th nationally)
This is not the usual recruiting class we've come to expect from Clemson in recent years. In fact, the Tigers haven't had a recruiting class ranked this low since 2009. It's not all doom and gloom for Clemson fans though. Dabo Swinney and his staff were able to sign five-star Cade Klubnik, the top quarterback in the nation, along with highly ranked four-stars like cornerbacks Jeadyn Lukus and Toriano Pride and offensive linemen Collin Sadler and Blake Miller.
In-state signees Adam Randall and Antonio Williams are important additions at wide receiver as well. This class of 12 signees, including two kicker/punters, is a far cry from what it could have been before major coaching staff losses with the departures of coordinators Brent Venables and Tony Elliott. With that said, Clemson does still have the 13th-best recruiting class when you look at average stars per commit.
Grade: B
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Duke (seventh ACC, 50th nationally)
The end of the David Cutcliffe era brought with it Duke's best recruiting class since 2019. New head coach Mike Elko only lost two commitments during the coaching change and did a good job of retaining some of the key pieces of this class. Defensive end Wesley Williams is the highest rated of the group but is just one of two defensive linemen in this class of 16 signees.
With about two signees at each position, this is a very balanced class for Duke. Elko worked hard in the days leading up to the Early Signing Period to make sure quarterback Henry Belin signed. Defensive backs Nathan Vail and Chandler Rivers - along with offensive lineman Brian Parker, receiver Jaden Watkins and athlete Kenzy Paul - are just a few of the other standouts in this class.
Grade: B-
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Florida State (second ACC, 12th nationally)
It will be a long time before Florida State forgets about the loss of longtime commit Travis Hunter, the No. 1 recruit in the nation, but this is still a very good recruiting class that should make an immediate difference on the field next year. Five-star offensive lineman Julian Armella and high four-stars defensive back Sam McCall and athlete Azareyeh Thomas could be in the rotation on day one. Rivals250 quarterback A.J. Duffy will have some time to develop once he gets to Tallahassee.
It's clear the Noles wanted to bring in reinforcements on both the offensive and defensive lines this year. Along with Armella, Florida State signed four-star offensive linemen Qaeshon Sapp and Jaylen Early, in addition to three-stars Kanaya Charlton and Daughtry Richardson.
On the defensive line, four-star defensive tackle Bishop Thomas and three-stars Daniel Lyons and Aaron Hester signed with Florida State, while four-stars Antavious Woody and Dante Anderson remain verbally committed for now. Even without its expected crown jewel recruit, this Florida State class is the program's best since 2018.
Grade: A
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Georgia Tech (sixth ACC, 43rd nationally)
It was a tough season for Georgia Tech on the field, but Geoff Collins and his staff did manage to sign their best class since 2019. This class is led by four-star quarterback Zach Pyron, a former Baylor commit, offensive lineman Tyler Gibson and defensive tackles Horace Lockett and Keith Miles Jr.
Running back Antonio Martin and defensive back Jaylin Marshall will also arrive at Georgia Tech with high expectations. Keep an eye on Janiran Bonner as well. He did not sign with Georgia Tech last week but remains verbally committed.
Grade: B
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Louisville (10th ACC, 60th nationally)
Despite an improved record on the field, Scott Satterfield and his staff haven't been able to bring in many positive results on the recruiting trail. This year's recruiting class is their lowest-ranked since the 2019 class and averages less than three stars per commit.
That being said, Louisville was able to pull off some surprises late in the recruiting cycle, flipping three-star Georgia Tech tight end commit Nate Kurisky and four-star Florida State receiver commit Devaughn Mortimer.
Four-star defensive ends Popeye Williams and Selah Brown, along with Mortimer, are the highest-rated prospects in this recruiting class, but there are high expectations for defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas and quarterback Khalib Johnson.
Grade: B
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Miami (ninth ACC, 56th nationally)
With all the drama surrounding Miami this season and the bumpy coaching transition from Manny Diaz to Mario Cristobal, it's not surprising the Canes were only able to sign nine players in the Early Signing Period. Despite it's unimpressive ranking, the Canes do have a top 15 class when it comes to average stars per commit.
Cristobal went to work on the recruiting trail once he was officially named Miami's next head coach, securing commitments from Rivals100 defensive end Nyjalik Kelly, a South Florida native, and three-star defensive back Jaden Harris out of Georgia. Cristobal's biggest win so far was flipping Rivals250 tight end Jaleel Skinner away from Alabama and getting him to sign last week.
That's a very impressive haul for a coach that had been on the job less than two weeks, but there is still a lot of work to do to fill out this class before the February signing period.
Grade: B+
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North Carolina (first ACC, ninth nationally)
Say what you want about North Carolina's season but the Tar Heels absolutely crushed it on the recruiting trail this year. They have tied their highest ranked class in history with their haul this year and have a top-five class in terms of average stars per commit.
No. 3 overall recruit Travis Shaw leads the way, followed closely by five-star Zach Rice. High four-star Andre Greene Jr. will bring some much-needed reinforcements to the receiving corps, and watch out for the running back tandem of George Pettaway and Omarion Hampton, both Rivals250 prospects.
In all, this class features eight Rivals250 prospects, along with additional four-stars in linebacker Malaki Hamrick, defensive end Bryson Jennings and defensive back Marcus Allen.
North Carolina's presence in Virginia was a recurring theme in this class. The Tar Heels signed seven players from Virginia compared with just four from North Carolina. Speaking of Virginia, The Tar Heels also flipped defensive back Will Hardy the week of the Early Signing Period. Hardy had been committed to Virginia since April.
Grade: A+
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NC State (eighth ACC, 55th nationally)
It's a bit surprising to see NC State has its lowest-ranked recruiting class since 2011 with so much hype surrounding project top draft picks like Ikem Ekwonu. Dave Doeren and his staff closed strong by landing a commitment from offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak, who was being pursued by a number of other Power Five programs. Rivals250 quarterback MJ Morris is an impressive prospect who has a knack for creating explosive plays with his arm and his legs. Four-star linebacker Torren Wright and four-star defensive end Brandon Cleveland should help NC State solidify the future of its defensive front.
High three-star linebacker Daejuan Thompson didn't generate a lot of buzz on the recruiting trail, but he brings a lot of energy to the defensive side of the ball and could turn into a big-time player in Raleigh. The overall size of this class hurts NC State's ranking, but there are some nice pieces in this group.
Grade: B
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Pittsburgh (11th ACC, 62nd nationally)
The Panthers were in a bit of a numbers crunch this year, so they were always going to sign a smaller class, and that impacted their overall ranking. This class did average greater than three stars per commit, and that's very similar to the classes Pat Narduzzi and his staff have been bringing in over the last few years.
This recruiting class is highlighted by four-stars Ryan Baer, an offensive lineman, and Samuel Okunlola, a defensive end. Pitt fans should also be excited about running back Jordaan Bailey, who briefly decommitted from Pitt shortly before the Early Signing Period. Keeping him in this class could prove to be a big move down the road. Defensive end Jimmy Scott, athlete Kyle Louis, defensive lineman Sean FitzSimmons, receiver Addison Copeland and offensive lineman Isaiah Montgomery are just a few other Pitt signees that could play a major role on this team in a year or two.
Grade: B
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Syracuse (13th ACC, 71st nationally)
Dino Babers and his staff signed a small class this year, and the rankings aren't pretty, but they did have a slightly higher average stars-per-commit average than in the last few years. Running back LeQuint Allen is the star of this class. The southern New Jersey star was the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey and racked up more than 1,600 yards on the ground and scored 22 touchdowns while averaging more than 8.5 yards per carry.
Syracuse landed defensive end Denis Jaquez, a former Northwestern commit, and linebacker Kadin Bailey on signing day, giving this class a bit of a boost. Offensive lineman Chad Schuster, a Wisconsin native, is another important piece in this recruiting class.
Grade: B-
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Virginia (14th ACC, 87th nationally)
Tony Elliott had less than a week from the time he was hired until the start of the Early Signing Period, and he did the best he could in that time frame. After he was announced as the new head coach, five players decommitted from Virginia, but the core of the class stayed together.
Receiver Dakota Twitty is the top-rated signee, followed by tight end Karson Gay and running back Xavier Brown. With quarterback Davis Lane being the Cavaliers' only in-state signee, expect Virginia to work hard to bring in more local talent in the years to come.
Grade: C
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Virginia Tech (fourth ACC, 33rd nationally)
Brent Pry hasn't been on the job for too long in Blacksburg. Meanwhile, the Hokies had a bit of a dramatic finish to this recruiting cycle. Signing 20 prospects in this class, Virginia Tech lost commitments from Ramon Brown, Alex Orji, Malcolm Jones and D'Andre Martin, but added Xayvion Bradshaw, Hunter McLain and former Virginia commits Keyshawn Burgos and four-star Brody Meadows.
Outside of those recruits, Pry and his staff were able to hold off North Carolina and keep Rivals250 offensive lineman Gunner Givens in this class, along with offensive lineman Braelin Moore, defensive lineman Lemar Law and defensive back Mansoor Delane.
Grade: B
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Wake Forest (12th ACC, 69th nationally)
This was the year for Dave Clawson and his staff to thrive on the recruiting trail, and there are some big-time players in this class. This is Wake Forest's best class when it comes to average star rating per commit. Rivals250 receiver Wesley Grimes stuck with the Demon Deacons, even though North Carolina and Clemson were courting him.
High three-star back Demond Claiborne did the same thing after being unsure if he'd sign during the Early Signing Period. Penn State and many others were pursuing the Virginia-based running back. Defensive lineman Eli Hall and offensive lineman Derrell Johnson were a couple of big additions for Wake Forest in this class.
Grade: B+