The 2024 recruiting cycle is all but complete. Six teams in the ACC — including newcomer Stanford — finished with a top-30 ranking.
Ari Wasserman, Grace Raynor and Manny Navarro of The Athletic’s recruiting staff share their thoughts on some of the most intriguing storylines in the ACC.
Biggest winner
Navarro: Miami. The Hurricanes are the only ACC program to sign top-10 classes in each of the last two cycles (Clemson signed five top-10 recruiting classes in a row from 2018-22). The Canes, who also had the best average player rating in the league, flipped five blue-chip recruits from other Power 5 programs down the stretch, including five-star defensive linemen Justin Scott (Ohio State) and Armondo Blount (Florida State). UM not only reeled in the best defensive line class (four top-100 recruits among eight signees) but also landed two top-100 receivers in Joshisa Trader and Ny Carr and a top-100 safety in Zaquan Patterson.
Raynor: This might be a hot take considering what happened down the stretch, but give me Florida State. The Seminoles fell out of the top 10 after five-star safety KJ Bolden flipped to Georgia and Blount flipped to Miami. And yet they still managed to finish with four top 100 players and an average player rating of 90.9, good for second in the conference behind Miami and 12th nationally. For Mike Norvell to have such a high average player rating despite losing not one but two (!) top-30 players in the final hours, shows just how well-built this group was.
Wasserman: It’s hard to think it’s anyone other than Miami. As Manny pointed out, that’s consecutive top-10 classes for Mario Cristobal. The hope, of course, is that those recruiting wins will finally start turning into wins on the field. But it’s impossible not to fall in love with the class the Hurricanes put together with big additions late, including flips of two five-star defensive linemen. Cristobal did a great job building the lines of scrimmage at Oregon, and he’s doing that again at Miami. That should pay dividends in the ACC down the line.
2024 ACC recruiting (247Sports Compsite)
Team
Rank
Signees
AVG Player Rating
4
27
91.01
11
22
90.64
12
23
90.90
26
27
87.84
27
24
87.66
30
25
87.14
33
23
87.39
40
22
87.19
42
22
86.93
46
16
88.14
52
21
86.22
55
20
86.21
58
15
87.16
62
16
86.65
86
14
85.91
94
13
85.28
105
10
86.5
Most surprising development
Navarro: Florida State slipping out of the top 10 in the team recruiting rankings. The Seminoles had an incredible 13-0 run to the ACC championship before they were screwed out of a College Football Playoff spot by the selection committee. On the trail, FSU lost Bolden (Georgia) and Blount (Miami) down the stretch, knocking them behind Clemson in the ACC pecking order. At one point, I thought Norvell could shock the recruiting world and finish with the No. 1 overall class. I was dead wrong, but it’s still a very good class. The 16 blue-chippers are the most signed by any ACC school this cycle. I just thought the program’s tremendous season on the field was going to translate to more recruiting wins.
Raynor: I’m pleasantly surprised at how quickly Fran Brown turned things around on the recruiting trail for Syracuse. The Orange have had just one winning season since 2018 and — entering the 2024 cycle — hadn’t signed a blue-chip prospect since 2019. Brown, who was hired in late November, just signed four. This was a program that didn’t have much to be excited about just two-and-a-half months ago. We’ll see what Brown does on the field in 2024, but his early recruiting for the Orange has been remarkable, even by his standards.
Wasserman: What happened to North Carolina’s in-state success? A few years ago, I was very high on Mack Brown’s ability to rebuild the Tar Heels into a very entertaining football team and I dared to dream they could accomplish even more. The reason for that was how well UNC was recruiting in-state prospects. Sure, there are ebbs and flows based on the number of top-tier prospects the state has on an annual basis, but the Tar Heels missed on each of the top four players in North Carolina this cycle. All four of those players were rated in the top 115 nationally. North Carolina has been a really fun team to watch the last few years, but I’m beginning to believe there’s a ceiling on the program.
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Offensive player who will make biggest impact in 2024
Navarro: I’m going with Florida State tight end Landen Thomas because of the Seminoles’ need for offensive playmakers in the wake of several big-time departures on that side of the ball as well as the lack of depth at tight end because of losses to the portal. Kyle Morlock is the only experienced starter and productive pass catcher coming back for the Seminoles at the position, and last year Jaheim Bell (headed to the NFL) thrived along with Morlock in Norvell’s tight end-friendly offense. Thomas has the size (6-foot-4, 235) and gifts needed to make an immediate impact. He’s also going to get plenty of opportunities.
Raynor: Clemson wide receiver TJ Moore. Moore was a four-star for much of the recruiting cycle but picked up a fifth star after he dazzled in the All-American Bowl with 11 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns. There’s no denying that the Tigers’ production at wide receiver has been down as Clemson’s offense has struggled these past three seasons, and Moore can help. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder averaged 25.4 yards per catch and 106 yards per game as a senior. Even if he isn’t WR1, there’s no reason why he can’t give junior quarterback Cade Klubnik a big-play threat downfield.
Wasserman: Miami receiver Joshisa Trader got overlooked because he played on the same team as Ohio State signee Jeremiah Smith. But if you turn on the tape, you’ll see a very explosive 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete who may be able to contribute right away. Picking who is going to have a huge impact early is also dependent on position, so going with a wide receiver seems like the safe play because so many get on the field. Moore, as Grace pointed out, is another good selection.
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Defensive player who will make biggest impact in 2024
Navarro: Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown. Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz are going to get most of the reps early in the season as the Tigers look to replace Jeremiah Trotter, a first-team All-ACC selection and the team’s leading tackler. But Brown, MaxPreps’ 2023 National Male Athlete of the Year (he also runs track and wrestles) isn’t going to be waiting in the wings for long. He’s too good.
Raynor: This one is tough because the top defensive recruits in the conference are Miami’s three defensive linemen and Florida State’s Charles Lester III. Miami is strong up front and the Seminoles return plenty of experience on the back end. But I’ll take Lester as someone who is talented enough to get on the field and who has been learning the playbook since December. At 6-foot-1, he’s got the length to keep up with the ACC’s best receivers and could show glimpses of what’s to come.
Wasserman: I hate to have to pick another Miami player, but adding a five-star defensive tackle to your roster — regardless of returning production — is always advantageous. Even though you have to develop quite a bit typically before being ready to play in the trenches, you also have to be a physical freak to rise to five-star status. At a position group that rotates regularly, I could see Blount becoming an impact player early in his career.
GO DEEPER
Blue-chip QB Elijah Brown is the centerpiece of Stanford’s recruiting surge
QB most likely to start a game in 2024
Navarro: Stanford’s Elijah Brown. Everybody else in the ACC aside from Pittsburgh has an established starting quarterback coming back or picked up an experienced starter via the transfer portal. Brown is the second-highest-rated quarterback — and one of only four blue-chippers at the position — signed by ACC schools in the 2024 cycle. Ashton Daniels played well at times during his second season in Palo Alto, completing 58.8 percent of his passes for 2,247 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. But Brown enrolled early and will push him for the job.
Raynor: How about Florida State’s Luke Kromenhoek? The Seminoles signed former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei this offseason to replace Jordan Travis, but Uiagalelei has struggled in the past and isn’t a slam dunk to become the school’s next Heisman contender. FSU also has Brock Glenn on the roster, but if the Seminoles’ season taught us anything last year, it’s that anything can happen. Kromenhoek is the assumed quarterback of the future for the program. If Uiagalelei struggles and/or the Seminoles run into depth problems again, why not give him a shot?
Wasserman: I’m going to echo Manny here and go with Brown. Most of the programs in the ACC have established starting quarterbacks, so why not go with a highly rated kid going into the most advantageous position?
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Most intriguing non-blue-chipper
Navarro: Wake Forest receiver Jeremiah Melvin. I’m not sure many people predicted Kevin Concepcion (71 catches, 839 yards, 10 TDs) would become the ACC’s Rookie of the Year last August. But the Charlotte, N.C., native was among three former three-star true freshman receivers to lead their respective team in receptions. Clemson’s Tyler Brown (52 catches, 531 yards) and Georgia Tech’s Eric Singleton Jr. (48 catches, 714 yards) were the others. Considering the number of weapons the Demon Deacons lost to the transfer portal, I’m going to say Melvin, a 6-5, 185-pounder from Cape Fear High in Fayetteville, N.C., can step in and make an immediate impact. And it’s worth noting that while Melvin is a three-star in the composite, he is ranked No. 204 and a four-star by 247Sports.
Raynor: Pittsburgh offensive lineman Moritz Schmoranzer. Schmoranzer is originally from Germany but moved to Virginia prior to his sophomore year of high school football. He started as a wide receiver but became a lineman during his junior and senior years at North Cross School in Roanoke, Va. Miami, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and others offered, but Schmoranzer committed to Pitt a week after his official visit to campus in June. I’m not sure how early he’ll play, given that offensive line is such a developmental position. But he was an all-state player on both offense and defense in 2023 and is very well-rounded, having won two football state championships, a lacrosse state championship and individual state titles in the shot put and discus.
Wasserman: I get down on Clemson because the Tigers sign recruiting classes with five players who rank outside of the top 1,000 nationally and that’s not something programs that expect to compete for national titles should be doing. But Clemson, after all, is one of the most successful programs at turning diamonds in the rough into productive players. What did the Tigers see in three-star safety Joe Wilkinson of Rome (Ga.) High, the No. 1,867 overall player who had no other Power 5 offers. With Dabo Swinney’s reluctance to go all-in on the portal while committing to the guys on the roster, it’s a bigger risk for him to take players who can’t play. We won’t get an answer to this question this year, but does he turn into a productive starter eventually?
(Photos of Luke Kromenhoek, Joshisa Trader: Manny Navarro / The Athletic; Elijah Brown: Antonio Morales / The Athletic)
2024-02-12 22:11:53
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