ACC Spotlight: September grades for each program
Manage privacy settings
September has wrapped up so there's no better time to take a look across the Power Four conferences as to which teams are performing well – or poorly – on the field and in recruiting. We move to the ACC.
THIS SERIES: September grades for each program in the Big Ten | SEC
MORE GORNEY: Recruiting Rumor Mill | Cignetti winning again, pulling off the impossible at Indiana | Ranking the September decommitments
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Top 100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
BOSTON COLLEGE (No. 10 in ACC, No. 46 overall)
FULL LIST: Boston College's 2025 recruiting class
Boston College has hovered around six and seven wins for nearly a decade so it’s a welcome site for Eagles fans under first-year coach Bill O’Brien to be sitting at 4-1 with wins already over Florida State and Michigan State. There are more winnable games ahead so not only is a bowl game fully expected but a really stellar season could be on the horizon.
The Eagles added no commitments in September after a very busy summer that put Boston College up to 23 pledges but only No. 46 nationally. That’s middle of the pack in the ACC but with so much momentum on the field, more good news in recruiting could be coming.
Grade: A-
CAL (No. 17 in ACC, No. 72 overall)
FULL LIST: Cal's 2025 recruiting class
Cal had a very tough schedule to start the season (and it continues by hosting Miami this weekend) but the Golden Bears have responded really well by beating Auburn and San Diego State but losing a close one at Florida State, a missed opportunity for Cal because the Seminoles are struggling mightily this season.
Despite some talented players, especially four-star QB Jaron Sagapolutele (who recently got offered by Oregon), Cal ranks last in the ACC team rankings. If Cal’s strong season continues, coach Justin Wilcox and his staff should be loading up with more players.
Grade: B
CLEMSON (No. 4 in ACC, No. 27 overall)
FULL LIST: Clemson's 2025 recruiting class
After getting crushed by Georgia to open the season, Clemson has blown out three opponents and the offense has really been clicking but that’s the question: The Tigers are still one of the best teams in the country but are they still among the elite?
The Tigers haven’t had any commitments since four-star linebacker Logan Anderson pledged in July and Clemson has the No. 27 class in the country but its class is always undervalued because they are usually smaller in quantity (not quality) than others across the country. There are still some key targets left – and flip candidates – as Clemson is clearly still a major contender on the national level.
Grade: A-
DUKE (No. 5 in ACC, No. 28 overall)
FULL LIST: Duke's 2025 recruiting class
Taking over for former coach Mike Elko, who turned the Blue Devils around before leaving for Texas A&M, was not an easy ask for coach Manny Diaz but he’s done a phenomenal job so far starting out 5-0. Duke isn’t blowing teams out but it’s winning close games and a win is a win. Georgia Tech is coming up this weekend.
There were no September commitments for Duke but August was very busy led by the flip of four-star defensive lineman Bryce Davis from Clemson as the Blue Devils are loaded up with 25 pledges and a top-30 class. That’s a really strong base for Diaz in Year 1 and as good as can be expected.
Grade: A
FLORIDA STATE (No. 6 in ACC, No. 30 overall)
FULL LIST: Florida State's 2025 recruiting class
Maybe no team has been more of a shocking disappointment to start the season than Florida State, which is now 1-4 after getting blown out by SMU this past weekend. The Seminoles are averaging just 15 points per game and fewer than 2.5 yards per carry. It’s hard to fathom this is the same program that went undefeated last season before the bowl game and made a real argument to make the College Football Playoff.
Florida State did land a major commitment in September from four-star running back Byron Louis, a big win in a very tough month, but the Seminoles lost pledges from five-star defensive end Javion Hilson and four-star defensive end Myron Charles, two in-state commitments.
Grade: D-
GEORGIA TECH (No. 2 in ACC, No. 19 overall)
FULL LIST: Georgia Tech's 2025 recruiting class
Georgia Tech’s season started so impressively with a win over Florida State but the Seminoles have proven to be a paper bag this season so while still important, the Yellow Jackets have been up and down since then. Wins against Georgia State and Youngstown State were expected. But close losses to Syracuse and Louisville hurt. A big matchup against Duke awaits this weekend.
Recruiting is going really well for coach Brent Key and his staff. There were no September commitments but two massive ones in August in four-stars OL Josh Petty and DE Christian Garrett were really important recruiting wins. The Yellow Jackets currently have a top-20 class.
Grade: B+
LOUISVILLE (No. 16 in ACC, No. 67 overall)
FULL LIST: Louisville's 2025 recruiting class
In coach Jeff Brohm’s first season, he took Louisville to the ACC Championship and has started off 3-1 in Year 2 after losing to Notre Dame last weekend. Another big matchup against a talented SMU team awaits this weekend. Through high school recruiting and especially the transfer portal, Brohm has built a beast again in Louisville.
Recruiting has surprisingly not picked up yet. Maybe the strategy is to tap the portal more after this season but the Cardinals have only one four-star commitment, 12 total pledges, and the class is ranked second-to-last in the ACC team rankings.
Grade: B+
MIAMI (No. 1 in ACC, No. 9 overall)
FULL LIST: Miami's 2025 recruiting class
Despite a major scare from Virginia Tech this past weekend in which the Hurricanes didn’t look like themselves at all, Miami is undefeated at 5-0 heading into a game at Cal on Saturday night. Coach Mario Cristobal has The U back – ranked eighth overall – and a blowout win over Florida started things off.
Recruiting is also going really well. Even though there were no September commitments, the Hurricanes are working on some flips – including Florida pledge Ben Hanks Jr. and others – and a busy summer has handed Miami the eighth-best class in the country.
Grade: A+
NC STATE (No. 14 in ACC, No. 56 overall)
FULL LIST: NC State's 2025 recruiting class
The Wolfpack are 3-2 and have won the games they were supposed to win and didn’t play well in their two biggest matchups of the season – blowout losses to Tennessee and Clemson. The schedule does significantly lighten up the rest of the season so it would not be surprising to see NC State go on a big run here. If not, it would be a disappointment.
Toward the bottom of the ACC team recruiting rankings, NC State has 16 commitments with the lone four-star in WR Je’Rel Bolder. The team didn’t land any September pledges but big-time target Jordan Young and others are still out there.
Grade: B-
NORTH CAROLINA (No. 13 in ACC, No. 54 overall)
FULL LIST: North Carolina's 2025 recruiting class
What started off like a great season and a 3-0 record has spiraled in the last few weeks. North Carolina lost 70-50 to James Madison and rumors abounded that coach Mack Brown announced his retirement in the locker room only to take it back later. Then the Tar Heels led 20-0 in their rivalry game against Duke this past weekend but lost, 21-20. The mindset of this team will be tested by Pitt this weekend.
Only one spot ahead (No. 13 in the ACC) of rival NC State, the Tar Heels haven’t landed any September commitments but do have an elite quarterback committed in four-star Bryce Baker among other four-stars. The Brown retirement rumors will certainly be something to watch as the 73-year-old looks at his future.
Grade: B-
PITTSBURGH (No. 9 in ACC, No. 41 overall)
FULL LIST: Pittsburgh's 2025 recruiting class
Pitt is off to a phenomenal start – and so is the offense – as the Panthers battled to big wins over Cincinnati and West Virginia and to a 4-0 start. The schedule definitely gets tougher in November but things are going well for the Panthers as they’re averaging more than 48 points per game.
Recruiting has been fine but not spectacular. However, Pitt always has underrated prospects in its class. There have been no September commitments and the last pledge for the Panthers was in mid-July as Pitt sits at No. 41 overall in the team rankings.
Grade: A
SMU (No. 3 in ACC, No. 22 overall)
FULL LIST: SMU's 2025 recruiting class
When SMU comes to play, the Mustangs are tough to beat. But there have been a few instances this season like the season opener in a slim victory over Nevada and in a tough matchup against BYU where the offense was almost non-existent. There’s no doubt that SMU can handle a step up into the ACC and there are a lot of winnable games ahead as the matchup against Louisville this weekend should be a thriller.
The one SMU commit in September came from JUCO tight end Devon Martin but flipping quarterback Ty Hawkins and landing four-star receivers Carterrious Brown and Jalen Cooper only keep the stockpile full in Dallas.
Grade: A-
STANFORD (No. 8 in ACC, No. 38 overall)
FULL LIST: Stanford's 2025 recruiting class
Stanford is 2-2 which is actually a major step in the right direction as this is a program now that has won only three games in each of the last three seasons. Second-year coach Troy Taylor is building on something after a tough Year 1 with wins over Cal Poly and Syracuse, and the Cardinal also played TCU tough in the opener. The schedule doesn’t exactly get easier but there could be some wins coming up.
There were no September commitments as Stanford did most of its recruiting work in June. Even despite the recent struggles, the Cardinal still have the No. 38 class nationally. With its academics as well, players going to Stanford are picking that school for numerous reasons.
Grade: C+
SYRACUSE (No. 7 in ACC, No. 34 overall)
FULL LIST: Syracuse's 2025 recruiting class
Other than a surprise hiccup against Stanford, Syracuse has won all its games and now at 3-1 the Orange have a big showdown this Friday against UNLV. Coach Fran Brown has the team playing hard, transfer quarterback Kyle McCord was a big addition and there is excitement around this Syracuse football team after things got bland late in the Dino Babers era.
Syracuse is also coming off a big recruiting win in recent days as four-star defensive back Demetres Samuel flipped back to the Orange. The versatile DB flipped from Syracuse to Florida but the Cuse coaching staff got him back. With a No. 34 recruiting class nationally, Syracuse’s new staff is doing a very solid job so far.
Grade: A-
VIRGINIA (No. 11 in ACC, No. 48 overall)
FULL LIST: Virginia's 2025 recruiting class
Has Virginia turned a corner in coach Tony Elliott’s third season? After winning just three games in each of his first two years, the Cavaliers are already 3-1 this season with a close loss only to Maryland. The ACC schedule is always a challenge but Virginia looks better, is playing better and seems to be making progress under Elliott this season.
The Cavaliers are sitting at No. 11 in the ACC team rankings but haven’t added any September commitments. Even still, Virginia landed a major commitment in early August when four-star receiver Josiah Abullah, a former Florida pledge, chose the Cavaliers.
Grade: B
VIRGINIA TECH (No. 12 in ACC, No. 50 overall)
FULL LIST: Virginia Tech's 2025 recruiting class
Virginia Tech is a disappointing 2-3 but if there is a silver lining there it’s that all three losses came by a touchdown or less. And there is still a debate about whether the Hokies got jobbed by the refs on a last-second play that would have upset Miami this past weekend. The other losses came by seven to Vanderbilt in the season opener, which is sort of inexcusable, and a three-point loss to a good Rutgers team. Coach Brent Pry went from 3-8 to 7-6 last season so VT has some work to do to get back to a winning season.
There were no September commitments for Virginia Tech, which sits at No. 50 nationally in the team rankings, but landing four-star WR Shamarius Peterkin was a big win in August.
Grade: C+
WAKE FOREST (No. 15 in ACC, No. 64 overall)
FULL LIST: Wake Forest's 2025 recruiting class
After winning 11 games in 2021, Wake Forest won just 12 the next two seasons and now the Demon Deacons are 1-3 to start this season although the schedule has been challenging. Things don’t get much easier with NC State and Clemson next but such is life in the ACC as the Demon Deacons look to bounce back.
Three-star defensive back William Wiebush was the lone Wake Forest commitment in September but the Demon Deacons need to do more as they’re standing No. 64 nationally and need a spark – or the transfer portal – to get things rolling again.
Grade: C-