Mid-Summer Report Card: Grading ACC recruiting
After a flurry of June and early July verbal commitments, Rivals checks in on every program in the ACC to issue a summer grade on the recruiting front.
ACC TEAM RANKINGS: 2024 | 2025
MORE ACC: Winners and losers from June recruiting | Friedman on Clemson OL and Va Tech WR recruiting
THIS SERIES: Grading Big 12 recruiting at the mid-point of the 2024 cycle | SEC | Big Ten
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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BOSTON COLLEGE
Jeff Hafley and staff are trying to get Boston College back on track on the recruiting trail. The Eagles finished No. 63 in the team recruiting rankings last year after posting back-to-back top-40 classes. After getting 12 of their 13 commitments last month, Boston College is currently ranked No. 55 in the 2024 team rankings but none of its commits are rated as a four-star prospect. Desman Stephens, Josiah Martin and Benjamin Blackburn are just a few of their top commitments so far but their momentum has slowed heading into July.
Boston College lost Rivals250 receiver Keonde Henry to Purdue and was a top contender for offensive lineman Chris Lino (Washington State) and legacy quarterback Henry Hasselbeck (Michigan State). The Eagles are working hard to keep highly ranked local offensive tackle Guerby Lambert from heading to Notre Dame or Ohio State.
Grade: C
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CLEMSON
Clemson is off to a great start this recruiting cycle and the Tigers still have highly ranked targets to pursue. The Tigers hold commitments from nine Rivals250 prospects and three additional four-star prospects. Sammy Brown and Bryan Wesco, the Nos. 28 and 29 ranked prospects in the Rivals250, and four-star receiver Terrance Moore committed to Clemson in early June.
The Tigers closed out the month with commitments from Rivals250 defensive end Darien Mayo and Rivals250 defensive back Ricardo Jones.
The Tigers have missed on a couple offensive line targets lately but there is still time for them to bring in a few more before the end of the recruiting cycle. Clemson currently has the No. 14 overall class but the fourth-best average star rating per commit.
Grade: A
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DUKE
ACC Coach of the Year Mike Elko and his staff got off to a fast start this recruiting cycle and they currently have a top-30 recruiting class. It would be a little surprising to see the Blue Devils maintain that ranking but that shouldn't dampen the highlights of this recruiting class.
Four-star Chase Tyler and high three-stars Kyren Condoll and Paul Mencke Jr are some of the top defensive prospects in this class. Duke is really excited about offensive line commits Bradley Smith and Mason Wade along with quarterback Tyler Cherry.
Grade: B
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FLORIDA STATE
June was suspiciously quiet for Florida State but July has started off with a bang. Four-star defensive lineman DD Holmes and Rivals250 defensive back Ricky Knight III committed to the Seminoles on July 1. Rivals250 receiver Elijah Moore along with high-star defensive back Rydarrius Morgan committed on July 4.
Mike Norvell and his staff also did a lot of work to lock in commits Kameron Davis and Luke Kromenhoek in the last couple months. Flipping elite tight end prospect Landon Thomas back from Georgia is easily the highlight of this recruiting class so far but Florida State has a chance to add more highly ranked talent in the next couple months.
Grade: A
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GEORGIA TECH
The Yellow Jackets are ranked No. 18 overall in the team rankings thanks in large part to holding more than 20 commitments already. Rivals250 defensive end Christopher Jackson is the highest-ranked member of Georgia Tech's class. Landing his commitment was a major win for the in-state program.
Receiver Koby Young and defensive back Troy Stevenson are their only other four-star commitments. Former Minnesota quarterback commit Aaron Philo jumped onboard with Georgia Tech in May but the Jackets lost a commitment from Duke Watson in June when he committed to Louisville.
Grade: B
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LOUISVILLE
If it weren't for TJ Capers reclassifying to the 2023 class, Louisville's 2024 class would be ranked much higher. Still, Jeff Brohm and his staff have hit the ground running and already reeled in some very good prospects.
Quarterback Deuce Adams, tight end Dylan Mesman and defensive end Xavier Porter are the only four-star prospects in this recruiting class so far. With just 14 commitments onboard, this class is very much a work in progress and there will be additions on both sides of the ball before all is said and done.
Grade: C
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MIAMI
The Hurricanes have 16 commitments so far for their 2024 recruiting class and they've been on a very good run since the beginning of June. Miami has picked up commitments from three four-stars, two Rivals250 prospects and three three-stars during that span.
Defensive end Marquise Lightfoot is the crown jewel of this Hurricane recruiting class. The Illinois native ranks No. 85 in the Rivals250. Kevin Riley hails from Alabama but the Rivals250 running back chose the Hurricanes over the Crimson Tide and others. Not everything has gone Miami's way in the last six weeks but Mario Cristobal and his staff still have a chance to end much higher in the team rankings than where they are now at No. 20.
Grade: B
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NC STATE
Dave Doeren and NC State haven't had a top-30 recruiting class in four years and it seems like this year could make it five in a row. The Wolfpack sit at No. 52 in the team rankings with just 12 commitments thus far.
Rivals250 defensive back Asaad Brown is their top-ranked recruit followed by four-star quarterback Cedrick Bailey Jr and four-star running back Ronnie Royal. NC State did just beat Maryland and Rutgers to keep three-star offensive lineman Trenton Mitchell in-state and it looks like they'll eventually land a commitment from three-star wide receiver Terrell Anderson.
Grade: B
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NORTH CAROLINA
Mack Brown and the Tar Heels have quietly put together a quality recruiting class that currently sits atop the ACC teams rankings and in the top-15 nationally. June started off well in Chapel Hill with five commitments through the first three weekends. There was a flurry of big commitments for North Carolina during the last two weeks of June starting with four-star linebacker Ashton Woods and then flipping Rivals250 defensive back Zion Ferguson away from LSU.
The Tar Heels closed out the month with a commitment from high three-star receiver Keenan Jackson. This recruiting class is already pretty full but there are a couple targets such as Rivals250 receiver Alex Taylor still available so it's still possible for UNC to climb in the team rankings.
Grade: A
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PITTSBURGH
Last year Pittsburgh signed 12 players who committed to the program in June or July. Pat Narduzzi and his staff are well on the way to matching that total this year. So far the Panthers have added nine public commitments since the beginning of June, with the highest-ranked being four-star linebacker Cameron Lindsey from Aliquippa, Pa.
During this recent surge on the recruiting trail, Pitt added linebacker Jeremiah Marcelin from Florida, offensive lineman Caleb Holmes from Georgia and Cameron Monteiro from Massachusetts. The Panthers are in a good spot with Rivals250 running back Yasin Willis and they've been pursuing coveted quarterback Trever Jackson since the beginning of the recruiting process.
It would be huge for Pittsburgh if the program could close out this recruiting class with commitments from Willis and Jackson.
Grade: B
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SYRACUSE
Dino Babers and his staff are in the process of putting together a balanced recruiting class but so far they hold 11 commitments from defensive players and just five from offensive players. The good news for Syracuse is that most of their higher-rated commitments come from offensive players.
Tight end Jamie Tremble and offensive lineman Willie Goodacre are the highest-rated commitments in this class. All 16 of Syracuse's commitments are three-star prospects but if the Orange don't pick up some momentum they could be looking at another finish outside the top 50 of the team recruiting rankings.
Grade: B
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VIRGINIA
Eight commitments in June is encouraging for Tony Elliott and Virginia but, with just 11 commitments in hand, there is still a lot of work for them to do. Three-star defensive end Chase Morrison is their highest-rated commitment and they already have commitments from four defensive backs.
On offense, Virginia's highest-rated commit is tackle Benjamin York but tight end John Rogers and receiver Triston Ward are very intriguing prospects. A small recruiting class in this cycle could mean Virginia focuses on bringing in a lot of transfers.
Grade: C
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VIRGINIA TECH
The Hokies are surging right now and it's likely there will be more good news in the near future. Brent Pry and his staff have added eight commitments since the beginning of June, two of which are four-star prospects along with multiple high three-stars.
Four-star linebacker Gabriel Williams and four-star receiver Chanz Wiggins give Virginia Tech four four-star commitments. High three-stars Quentin Reddish, Marcellus Barnes Jr., offensive lineman Aidan Lynch and defensive back Noah Jenkins give this Virginia Tech class a number of potential quality contributors to develop.
Four-star receiver Keylen Adams is scheduled to announce his commitment today and Virginia Tech is the favorite. Mekhai White, another four-star receiver, is strongly considering Virginia Tech as well.
Grade: B
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WAKE FOREST
Wake Forest has put together a very solid class of 18 commitments so far this recruiting cycle. June and July have been fairly quiet for the Demon Deacons but they did pick up a commitment from high three-star offensive lineman Clinton Richard. Wake Forest fans should be excited by the potential of players such as receiver Ben Grice, linebacker Darius Jones, defensive end Camden Hardy, linebacker Andrew Hines and quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski.
If the remaining chips fall the right way, there is a chance Wake Forest signs a top-50 recruiting class for the first time since 2015.
Grade: B