2024 ACC Conference Preview: Sleepers, Busts and All-Conference Teams

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Published on August 13, 2024

Conference realignments have made waves across college football, leaving many conferences scarce of competition, but that can't be said for the ACC. The new additions add plenty of depth to the ACC, including SMU coming off a phenomenal season and looking to bring a high-flying offense into the mix of the ACC. Although the competition levels have ratcheted up, the ACC is still loaded with talent that can make a big impact in the fantasy landscape.

2024 College Football Fantasy Draft Kit

ACC All-Conference Fantasy Teams

First-Team All-Conference USA

QB: Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech (16)

RB: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina (3)

RB: Phil Mafah, Clemson Clemson (6)

WR: Kevin Concepcion, NC State North Carolina State (9)

WR: Xavier Restrepo, Miami Miami (10)

TE: Oronde Gadsden, Syracue Syracuse (2)

Second-Team All-Conference USA

QB: Haynes King, Georgia Tech (12)

RB: Jaydn Ott, Cal California (9)

RB: LeQuint Allen, Syracuse (18)

WR: Elic Ayomanor, Stanford (23)

WR: Eric Singleton, Georgia Tech (33)

TE: Jake Briningstool, Clemson Clemson (6)

Third-Team All-Conference USA

QB: Thomas Castellanos, Boston College (26)

RB: Damien Martinez, Miami Miami (21)

RB: Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech (32)

WR: Caullin Lacy, Louisville (30)

WR: Malachi Fields, Virginia (36)

TE: Justin Joly, NC State North Carolina State (9)

2024 ACC Sleepers

QB: Cam Ward, Miami Miami

Ward comes to Miami from Washington State where he turned himself into the most highly touted quarterback in the transfer portal. Last year, Miami was second in the ACC in total offense but was ultimately ineffective due to an influx of turnovers. With Mario Cristobal running the program, the former offensive line coach will have excellent protection around Ward, allowing him time in the pocket to make intelligent decisions and exploit defenses. Ward did just that last season at Washington State, where he threw for 25 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. He was also no stranger to running the ball as he added eight scores with his legs. Miami also returns leading receiver Xavier Restrepo, who will provide Ward with an explosive weapon.

QB: Grayson McCall, NC State North Carolina State

Last season, NC State struggled to find an identity on offense, relying primarily on quarterback Brennan Armstrong and freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion to keep the struggling offense afloat. Coming into 2024, NC State completely overhauled their struggling offense. Outside of bringing in McCall, one of the most accurate and productive quarterbacks in the country during his tenure at Coastal Carolina, the Wolfpack have brought in running back Jordan Waters from Duke and Justin Joly from UConn. The addition of Waters, who rushed for 800+ yards and 12 touchdowns for the Blue Devils last season, brings much-needed balance to an offense led in rushing by Armstrong and Concepcion last season. Waters' addition should help open things up in the passing game for McCall, who also boasts Joly and should have a more receiving-focused Concepcion to find in 2024.

RB: Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech

Last season for the Yellow Jackets, Haynes had an under-the-radar 1,000-plus yard rushing season where he rushed for over six yards per carry. After leading the ACC in rushing in 2023, Georgia Tech returns four starters on the offensive line. Given the success the Yellow Jackets have had in the ground game and the turnover issues shown by quarterback Haynes King, Georgia Tech should be hard-pressed to emphasize the rushing attack this season. However, the defense must be better for the Yellow Jackets to make these adjustments offensively.

WR: Ali Jennings, Virginia Tech

After coming up with 116 catches for 2,025 yards between 2021 and 2022 at Old Dominion, Jennings transferred to Virginia Tech with high hopes. Jennings came out of the gates hot with five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns against his former team but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in week two. After this, things seemed bleak for the Hokies as both quarterbacks Grant Wells and Kyron Drones struggled to start the season. Drones settled in around the season's mid-point and excelled down the stretch, making the Hokies look like a dark horse contender coming into 2024. With a high-potential quarterback who can both throw it and run it and one of the best running backs in the conference, Jennings should be a home run hitter on the outside for the Hokies in 2024.

WR: Jacolby George, Miami Miami

Miami looks to be one of the best teams in the ACC on paper next year; the addition of Cam Ward should really open up the passing game for the Hurricanes. Xavier Restrepo projects to be the top target for Ward as he is a sure-handed, reliable receiver. George, on the other hand, could be the home run hitter in Coral Gables. Last season, George led the Hurricanes in touchdowns with eight and finished top-5 in the ACC in catches of 10, 30, 50, 60, 70, and 80 yards.

2024 ACC Fantasy Busts

QB: Kyle McCord, Syracuse

McCord transfers into Syracuse after putting up 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 65.8 percent of his passes at Ohio State in 2023. While the numbers from last year for McCord are fantastic, he was in one of the best situations possible for a quarterback. McCord had a fantastic offensive line, a phenomenal wide receiver corps that featured the number four overall pick in the NFL draft, and a likely first-round pick in next year's draft. Coming to Syracuse, McCord will be working with much less as there is not much depth on offense outside running back LeQuint Allen and top tight end Oronde Gadsden, who played in just two games last season. The Syracuse offensive line also had several issues last year and has not added many pieces to fill outside of transfer guard Joshua Miller from Georgia.

QB: Hank Bachmeier, Wake Forest

This is more of a call out of the Wake Forest offense and to whichever quarterback winds up at the helm. The Demon Deacons struggled mightily in 2023 as they barely squeaked ahead of Pitt for last place in the ACC in points per game at 20.3. The offensive line had its fair share of struggles, and the offense has lost a plethora of talent. Wake Forest will be heading into the season without running back Justice Ellison and three of their top four leading receivers from last season in Jahmal Banks, Ke'Shawn Williams, and Wesley Grimes. After a disastrous 2023 for Wake Forest, things may only worsen in 2024.

RB: Sedrick Irvin, Stanford

With lead running back E.J. Smith moving on to Texas A&M, Irvin now projects to be the head man in the backfield. However, little else seems to bode well for Irvin. The Cardinal offensive line struggled mightily last season as they allowed 41 sacks on the year and averaged a measly 119 rushing yards per game. With all five starters from a year ago returning on the line, there is hope that things will get better as they continue to gel as a unit. Stanford also got abysmal production from their running backs a year ago, as their two leading rushers were quarterbacks. Couple the offensive line struggles with a propensity to use the quarterbacks as the driver in the run game, and the future does not look good for Irvin in 2024.

RB: Kobe Pace, Virginia

The Virginia offense struggled mightily in 2023, highlighted by a ground game that was second to last in the ACC, putting up just 1,415 yards. Pace was the second-leading rusher on last year's team with 382 yards, just 11 yards short of the team lead. One of the major issues on that team was offensive line troubles, which they've hardly addressed. Virginia brought in UCF center Drake Metcalf to help bolster things, but that likely won't patch up the many holes. With Pace averaging just 3.1 yards per carry last year and little work done to strengthen the offensive line, don't look for much production from the Virginia backfield in 2024.

RB: Jaquez Moore, Duke Duke

In 2024, all things seem to point to Moore having a breakout year. The Blue Devils featured back in 2023, Jordan Waters, has transferred to NC State. Moore was extremely impressive last season, averaging 5.8 yards per carry as the number two back. However, the Blue Devils have lost all five starters on the offensive line, including two to the NFL draft. Duke has also brought in former SMU offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer. While the splits from last season may not show it, Brewer likes to run a pass-heavy offense. The numbers may show more rushing attempts than passing attempts last season for the Mustangs, but they made their money through the air and then pounded opponents to finish games as they had seven wins of three or more scores. With more competition in the ACC, the likelihood of blowout wins will drop substantially, forcing Brewer to run his offense as designed more often than not.