The early signing period in December has made it such that February signing day — at one time the only signing day — no longer has much significance on the calendar. Wednesday was again proof of that, with little activity and nothing unexpected happening.
Starting now, coaches can officially close the door on the Class of 2024 and get moving on the Class of 2025, which should be an intriguing group to follow with conference realignment in full swing. The ACC is no exception. Cal, Stanford and SMU will look to compete with other league members for recruits. Clemson and Florida State will continue to jockey for the top spot in the conference standings. As we wrap up the 2024 class, let’s check in on the league with one thought for each team.
Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.
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Boston College
Things recently got interesting at Boston College. About six weeks after the Eagles signed the majority of their class, head coach Jeff Hafley left the program to become the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. The move makes sense for Hafley — Boston College is a difficult place to win at, and he left on his own terms — but the timing is far from ideal for the program’s 12 signees. Even if the Class of 2024 recruits were interested in entering the transfer portal, it’s so late in the process that it would be difficult for them to find a new school. The best plan for this group — and the team — is to go through spring practice with the new staff and then determine if they want to stay at Boston College or pursue a transfer.
Cal
Cal’s 2024 class is concerning. The Golden Bears have just one blue-chipper — four-star receiver Trevor Rogers out of Northern California — and have signed just three blue-chippers in the last three cycles. This after signing six in the Class of 2021 alone. But did the Golden Bears tip their hand this cycle and show us how they might beef up recruiting in the future? Cal signed a combined three players from Texas from 2021 through 2023. This year, the staff signed a whopping nine prospects from the Lone Star State, compared to five from California and one each from Florida, Kansas, North Carolina and Washington. Georgia has become an important state for ACC schools to get into given its deep pool of talent and proximity to most of the league’s programs. But will Texas become that state for Cal? And will it make a difference? It’s too early to tell but certainly something to keep an eye on.
Clemson
Clemson’s offense has struggled the past three seasons, in large part due to a lack of playmakers at wide receiver. The Tigers believe they have addressed that issue in the 2024 class. Clemson signed two top-50 receivers in December: five-star TJ Moore out of Tampa (Fla.) Catholic and four-star Bryant Wesco out of Midlothian (Texas) High. Moore is the nation’s No. 23 prospect, and Wesco comes in at No. 48. Dabo Swinney will be under a microscope in 2024 to see if he can get his program back among the elite in the sport. If the offense gets rolling again, don’t be surprised if these two receivers play a crucial role.
Duke
Manny Diaz has his work cut out for him. In June, Duke was on pace to sign a top-35 class for just the second time in program history thanks to the work of Mike Elko and his staff. After the coaching change and a host of defections, the Blue Devils’ final ranking is No. 62. Among the notable losses were four-star quarterback Tyler Cherry, who signed with Indiana, and four-star offensive tackle Robert Bourdon, who is following Elko to Texas A&M. The Blue Devils landed former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy out of the transfer portal in December but have no high school quarterback in the 2024 class. It will be interesting to see whether Diaz — who was previously the head coach at Miami and attended Florida State — targets the state of Florida. Duke has signed just six players from the state over the last six cycles.
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Florida State
Florida State lost five-star safety KJ Bolden to Georgia and five-star edge Armondo Blount to Miami during the early signing period, which knocked the Seminoles out of the top 10. But don’t be mistaken: This is still a strong class with some outstanding playmakers. Florida State’s average player rating of 90.90 is good for 12th nationally and is the program’s highest mark since the Class of 2018. In a year when competition was stiff in the Sunshine State, with Florida and Miami finishing No. 7 and No. 11, respectively, in average player rating, Florida State hung in despite its late losses. This is a program with a lot of momentum.
Georgia Tech
Georgia is one of the most talent-rich states in the country. That’s good (a lot of players) and bad (a lot of competition) for the Yellow Jackets. There were 57 blue-chip prospects in Georgia in the 2024 cycle, and the Yellow Jackets landed only two of them: wide receiver Isiah Canion out of Warner Robins High and tight end Luke Harpring out of the Marist School in Atlanta. Still, it was a solid class for Brent Key and his staff. Georgia Tech’s average player rating of 87.39 was a big improvement from the 85.86 mark in the 2023 cycle and the first time since 2020 the program topped 87. In addition to Canion, the Jackets signed two other four-star prospects: running back Anthony Carrie and cornerback Troy Stevenson.
Louisville
Louisville emerged as the darling of the ACC in 2023 thanks in large part to its work in the transfer portal. Quarterback Jack Plummer came to Louisville from Cal, wide receiver Jamari Thrash transferred from Georgia State and running back Jawhar Jordan had previously played at Syracuse before transferring to Louisville in 2021. Relying heavily on the portal seems to be the plan, too. Louisville signed just 14 high school players in December. By contrast, the Cardinals are bringing in 26 players via the portal, according to 247Sports. Jeff Brohm, a Louisville grad, signed just one player from Kentucky: three-star wide receiver Shaun Boykins Jr. Will Brohm and his staff make recruiting in-state talent more of a priority?
Miami
Say what you will about Mario Cristobal’s game management, but Miami’s head coach has done his part on the recruiting trail. This class is stacked. The Hurricanes finished with the nation’s No. 4 class, featuring 14 blue-chippers and three five-star prospects. Defensive lineman Justin Scott, defensive end Armondo Blount and edge Marquise Lightfoot are the headliners of a class that has seven (!) top-100 prospects and an average player rating of 91.01. Now it’s time for this success on the recruiting trail to translate to success on the field. After going 5-7 in 2022 and 7-6 in 2023, there are no more excuses.
NC State
The Wolfpack need some stability at the quarterback position, and they might have found the future face of their program in four-star prospect Cedrick Bailey out of Hollywood, Fla. Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall will likely run the show in 2024, but keep an eye on Bailey for the future. In high school, his top two targets were Ohio State signee Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 prospect in the nation, and four-star prospect Joshisa Trader, who stayed home to play for the Miami Hurricanes. The 6-foot-6 Bailey isn’t necessarily a flashy recruit, but this feels like a good get for Dave Doeren, who held off Miami, among others, down the stretch.
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North Carolina
North Carolina has featured one of the most explosive offenses in the country since Mack Brown returned to Chapel Hill, which is why it was so puzzling that the Tar Heels didn’t sign a blue-chip quarterback in the Class of 2024. After producing Sam Howell and Drake Maye — who is expected to be a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — you’d think the Tar Heels would have been able to land an elite QB prospect. Instead, UNC signed former Texas A&M and LSU quarterback Max Johnson via the transfer portal and three-star prospect Michael Merdinger out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Merdinger could end up being a diamond in the rough if offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s evaluation is correct, and the Tar Heels already have a four-star quarterback committed for 2025 in Kernersville, N.C., native Bryce Baker.
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Pittsburgh
For as much as Pitt struggled in 2023, going 3-9 for the program’s first losing season since 2017, the Panthers didn’t see a dip in their recruiting this cycle — a credit to Pat Narduzzi and his staff. The Panthers’ 86.93 average player rating is the program’s highest since the 2021 cycle, and four-star offensive lineman Caleb Holmes out of Fairburn, Ga., is the third-highest-ranked interior offensive lineman to sign with an ACC school in this class. The Panthers didn’t sign a top-10 in-state player and have only one blue-chipper in Holmes. But given the way the 2023 season went, Pitt’s class easily could have fallen apart.
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SMU
SMU’s 2024 class checks in at No. 104 overall and last in the ACC. Part of that is a product of the small numbers (only 10 signees), and part is because the class was put together while the program competed in the Group of 5 ranks. The current group includes only one top-500 recruit (four-star running back Derrick McFall), but the Mustangs already have three top-500 prospects in their 2025 class. Rhett Lashlee has SMU well positioned to significantly upgrade its talent in the next few years.
Stanford
Of all the top prospects ACC schools signed this year, it’ll be hard to find a more captivating recruit than Stanford’s Benedict Umeh. Umeh, a four-star defensive lineman and the headliner of the Cardinal’s class, missed his entire senior season while fighting stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. He was declared to be in remission in November and enrolled early at Stanford, where he continues to work his way back into playing shape. Keep an eye out for him in the coming years. Despite getting a late start to football, the 6-foot-5 native of Canada dominated opposing offensive linemen at Avon Old Farms (Conn.) School and enters Stanford as the nation’s No. 22 defensive lineman.
Syracuse
Mark it down: Syracuse’s Fran Brown is going to be a problem for other coaches in the league who are not used to having to compete with Syracuse on the recruiting trail. Brown, the former defensive backs coach at Georgia who was named as 247Sports’ top recruiter this year, is already getting things done with the Orange. Syracuse’s 2024 class includes four four-star prospects — four more than the program signed in the last four cycles combined — and three of the four committed after the coaching change. Brown also got work done in the portal, most notably signing former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord. There is a new energy around the program.
Virginia
Virginia struggled in the high school ranks again this cycle, signing just two top-1,000 players and no blue-chippers. Coach Tony Elliott’s team competed hard in 2023, losing five games by a touchdown or less, but it ultimately didn’t move the needle at the prep level. If there’s a reason for optimism with the Cavaliers, though, it’s that they return young quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who should have a few more weapons to throw to thanks to some nice additions from the transfer portal. The Cavaliers picked up Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Tyree, North Carolina wide receiver Andre Greene Jr. and Clemson tight end Sage Ennis.
Virginia Tech
The Hokies did a better job with in-state prospects this year. Brent Pry and his staff landed three of the top 10 prospects in Virginia, including the state’s top two receivers: Virginia Beach native Keylen Adams and King George native Chanz Wiggins. Adams is the program’s sixth-highest-rated receiver recruit of the modern era. Six of the top 10 Virginia prospects still went to an SEC or Big Ten school and another went to Notre Dame, but the fact that Virginia Tech didn’t lose the state’s top talent to other ACC schools is encouraging. Pry and the Hokies still need to be more consistent on the field, but this cycle was a step in the right direction.
Wake Forest
Like Boston College and Virginia, Wake Forest failed to sign a top-500 player in its 2024 class. This coming off the program’s worst season since 2015. Quarterback play was an issue for the first time in years, and the Demon Deacons hope that 5-foot-11 Georgia native Jeremy Hecklinski (No. 643 overall) can develop into the program’s next undersized gem at the position. Hank Bachmeier, a transfer from Louisiana Tech who began his career at Boise State, is the likely starter in 2024, but Hecklinski should be in the mix after that.
(Photos of Dabo Swinney, Brent Pry and Rhett Lashlee: Ken Ruinard, Peter Casey and Gregory Fisher / USA Today)