Five ACC programs off to a hot start for 2022
The 2022 recruiting class has just kicked off but there are already teams in Power Five conferences that have jumped out and started to load up. Here is a look at five ACC programs that are doing well so far.
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RELATED: Five Big Ten programs off to a hot start for 2022 | SEC
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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FLORIDA STATE
The question has been asked whether the 2022 class will be Florida State’s start to its turnaround to be a national contender again. That’s unknown, but the Seminoles are definitely off to a fantastic start with this group.
Five-star Travis Hunter leads the way and he would arguably be among the top players at both wide receiver and cornerback. Former Florida pledge Sam McCall is another high-profile pledge at defensive back and three-star defensive end Nyjalik Kelly has had a terrific offseason.
There is still a long way to go and many other top prospects to compete for in this recruiting class, but coach Mike Norvell and his staff are definitely on the right track.
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BOSTON COLLEGE
Coach Jeff Hafley has drawn rave reviews since arriving in Chestnut Hill and early on in the 2022 class he has the Eagles with the second-best class in the conference. Boston College has nine commitments, more than any other program in the ACC, so that has helped its ranking.
All nine are three-star prospects, so the average star ranking is not great, but BC has shown an aggressiveness to get out and land top targets early. High three-star cornerback Jamal Hood leads the way as Hafley and his staff have done a great job winning some regional battles.
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CLEMSON
With only four early commitments, Clemson finds itself third in the ACC rankings, but arguably no other team in the ACC has a better chance to quickly move up the conference and national rankings. High four-star QB Cade Klubnik is the marquee commit but wide receiver Adam Randall and offensive linemen Blake Miller and Collin Sadler are also special.
There are five-star prospects that the Tigers are competing for, including DT Travis Shaw and others. It would not be a surprise at all to see Clemson, once again, load up in the 2022 class and move right back to the top of the ACC rankings.
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NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels are already doing a great job, especially in Virginia, where three of four commits come from, including four-star cornerback Tayon Holloway from Virginia Beach (Va.) Green Run. The lone in-state commitment is also a standout in four-star linebacker Malaki Hamrick, North Carolina’s newest pledge.
North Carolina is battling for five-star DT Travis Shaw along with Clemson and others. The Tar Heels are in the hunt for many other top in-state prospects as coach Mack Brown and his staff continue to do well on the recruiting trail.
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VIRGINIA TECH
Since it’s still so early in the 2022 recruiting class, there is a big group of schools with only a few commitments, including Virginia Tech, but the Hokies have a slight edge over others in the ACC because some commits are more highly ranked.
Virginia Tech went to Georgia for mid-level three-star QB commit Devin Farrell and three-star tight end Harrison Saint-Germain is a top in-state pledge. But the Hokies are just getting things underway, as are many other ACC teams.
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Final note: It has been a slow start for many teams in the ACC - which also means a lot of possibilities could still happen to team placement in the recruiting rankings. Other than Virginia Tech, Virginia is the only school with three pledges. Georgia Tech, Pitt, Syracuse and Wake Forest each have two and Miami has one. NC State, Louisville and Duke are still without a 2022 pledge.