by Kyle Hunter
Friday, Jul 26, 2024ACC Football: 3 Teams To Watch
College football is less than one month away! It will be here before you know it. I’ve been doing deep dives into the teams one by one. I’ve recently been in the ACC. I want to take a look at three ACC teams I’ve got my eye on in one way or another for the season ahead.
College football is less than one month away! It will be here before you know it. I’ve been doing deep dives into the teams one by one. I’ve recently been in the ACC. I want to take a look at three ACC teams I’ve got my eye on in one way or another for the season ahead.
- Georgia Tech- I really like Offensive Coordinator Buster Faulkner. Haynes King was fantastic in Faulkner’s system last year, and I see no reason to expect anything other than a very good season from King. This is a quarterback who wasn’t put in the right position to succeed at Texas A&M, but he was very highly touted and he showed why last year. I don’t think Georgia Tech’s offensive success last year was a fluke at all. Head Coach Brent Key knows offensive lines very well and the Yellow Jackets offensive line will be a major strength this year. They averaged 5.4 yards per carry last year and allowed only 15 sacks. Can the Georgia Tech defense improve? That is up in the air. I expect big numbers from the offense though.
- Virginia Tech- Kyron Drones should have been starting from the beginning of the year last year in Blacksburg. Drones really took off late last year as he learned the offense much better. The Hokies are much improved at wide receiver with Jennings and Gallo back from injury. The offensive line is the one question mark I have on offense. If they can gel, this could be a special offense. The Hokies is very strong in the secondary and solid on the defensive line as well. Virginia Tech’s special teams are so good that they will win a game or two solely because of that unit. The Hokies are a team I like as a futures play. The potential upside here is high.
- Duke- The Blue Devils lost so much in the offseason. They lost a top notch coach in Mike Elko. They lost a star quarterback in Riley Leonard. They lost their top running back in Jordan Waters. Manny Diaz has a lot to prove as a head coach. Murphy could be a good quarterback in the right system, but I’m not convinced this is the spot. Duke’s offensive line is going to be a major weakness. The Blue Devils lost their top five defensive linemen and are going to struggle in a big way to stop the run. Diaz should do a good job coaching up the secondary, so I see Duke as a matchup specific team. The Blue Devils should do far better against pass heavy teams than run heavy teams.
