Quarterbacks in the ACC has been as active as any position in the nation in terms of the transfer portal since 2022 ended.
We are including Notre Dame with the ACC in this series as we go through the Power 5 conferences, giving the ACC a plus-one up to 15 teams.
Among those 15 teams, 14 had starting quarterbacks who could have returned for 2023, but eight of those transferred to other Power 5 schools. Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest and Notre Dame all saw the primary starter from 2022 transfer.
Multiple QBs stayed in the ACC, and Sam Hartman went from Wake Forest to Notre Dame. The game of QB musical chairs has ended, and this is what it looks like around the league after spring practice.
RANKING QB SITUATIONS: Big Ten | SEC
Sporting News ranks the quarterback situations at all 14 ACC schools plus Notre Dame heading into the summer:
ACC quarterbacks for 2023
1. North Carolina
Starter: Sophomore Drake Maye (14 career starts at UNC)
Backup: Freshman Conner Harrell
Situation heading into the fall: Maye will be on plenty of Heisman Trophy lists after a stellar redshirt freshman season that saw him throw 38 touchdowns and average 308.6 yards per game with a passer rating of 157.9, all of which were tops among freshmen. After winning 9 of its first 10 games, UNC closed with four straight losses, and Maye’s play fell off during that stretch. He threw just four TDs and four INTs in his final four games, took 14 sacks and saw his yards per game drop to 227.3. There were rumors of Alabama being interested in Maye, who originally committed to the Tide out of high school, but he is back in Chapel Hill and eager to make amends for a slow finish to 2022. Harrell redshirted last season and did not see the field.
2. Florida State
Starter: Senior Jordan Travis (27 career starts)
Backup: Junior Tate Rodemaker
Situation heading into the fall: Jordan Travis did nothing in the spring to dispel the feeling that Florida State has a difference-maker at quarterback and could challenge for an ACC title and College Football Playoff appearance. Travis completed more than 60 percent of his passes in 10 games last season and finished with 24 passing touchdowns, seven rushing touchdowns and just five interceptions. Travis was second-team All-ACC behind UNC's Drake Maye last season and was the league’s highest rated passer, just edging out Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman. Rodemaker came off the bench last season to lead a second-half comeback at Louisville after an injury to Travis. He threw 31 passes spread over six games for the season.
3. Notre Dame
Starter: Senior Sam Hartman (44 career starts at Wake Forest)
Backup: Freshman Steve Angeli
Situation heading into the fall: Hartman reportedly didn’t start off his Notre Dame spring with a bang after his record-setting career at Wake Forest, but by the end of spring word out of South Bend was much more positive. At the spring game, Hartman shined in poor weather, unofficially putting an end to a competition with Tyler Buchner. With that, Buchner transferred to Alabama to compete for the job there under his old offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Hartman brings a bigger arm to the job than last year’s starter Drew Pyne and Ian Book before him. Hard to predict what the offense will look like under first-time coordinator Gerard Parker, but there is talent on the offensive line and in the backfield. Hartman could be in for a big season if some of the touted freshman wide receivers (Jaden Greathouse, Rico Flores Jr., Braylon James) develop.
MORE: Why the CFP schedule for 2024 will be a failure
4. Duke
Starter: Junior Riley Leonard (14 career starts at Duke)
Backup: Freshman Henry Belin IV
Situation heading into the fall: Leonard was one of the ACC’s surprises on the league’s biggest surprise team. He was the ACC's fifth-rated passer and rushed for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns as Duke improved from 3-9 to 9-4. His rushing yards led all ACC quarterbacks. One caveat to Duke’s turnaround was its nine wins came against an FCS team and eight FBS teams that went 35-61. Still, Duke beat Wake Forest (8-5) and UCF (9-5) to close the season. Leonard has his top five wide receivers back from last season, his top three running backs and three starting offensive linemen. The Blue Devils have a good chance to increase their scoring output of 32.8 points per game with Leonard at the helm.
5. Clemson
Starter: Sophomore Cade Klubnik (1 career start at Clemson)
Backup: Junior Hunter Helms
Situation heading into the fall: Klubnik got a lot of attention last year for a player who threw only 22 passes before the ACC Championship Game. Clemson fans were clamoring for the five-star freshman to replace D.J. Uiagalelei when the Tigers offense sputtered at times, and Klubnik did lead a comeback against Syracuse (though his line was only 2-for-4, 19 yards, and six carries for 15 yards). Klubnik finally took over after two empty series in the ACC championship against North Carolina, and he was brilliant, completing 20 of 24 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown plus a rushing touchdown. His Orange Bowl start against Tennessee did not go as well, as he completed 30 of 54 for 320 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a 31-14 loss. Klubnik should be an upgrade over Uiagalelei, but there are still unanswered questions about Clemson’s offensive line and receivers. Unlike last season, however, there will be no questions surrounding who is QB1.
MORE: Georgia, Michigan lead SN's post-spring Top 25
6. Miami
Starter: Junior Tyler Van Dyke (18 career starts at Miami)
Backup: Sophomore Jacurri Brown
Situation heading into the fall: Van Dyke was the ACC rookie of the year as a freshman after winning six of his nine starts, but his production fell off in 2022. Miami went 3-6 in his nine starts, and Van Dyke finished as the eighth-rated passer in the conference. He battled injuries and he still wasn’t 100 percent at the start of the spring. Van Dyke will be on his third offensive coordinator in three years after Mario Cristobol replaced Josh Gattis with Shannon Dawson. He spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator at Houston, where he led an offense that threw the ball 51 percent of the time and finished an average No. 22 nationally in passing. Brown started two games last season and threw 45 passes over five games. He was 14-for-19 for 136 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Georgia Tech.
7. Wake Forest
Starter: Sophomore Mitch Griffis (1 career start at Wake Forest)
Backup: Junior Michael Kern
Situation heading into the fall: Griffis takes over for Sam Hartman, who transferred to Notre Dame after setting a boatload of ACC and Wake Forest passing records. Griffis is entering his fourth year at Wake and has appeared in 12 games. He started against VMI last season when Hartman was out and completed 21 of 29 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. His other 11 appearances were all in mop-up roles. Griffis has more mobility than Hartman, but the high-scoring offense will remain the same despite the change at QB. Griffis threw for 300 yards against the No. 1 defense in the spring game and clearly has the No. 1 job. Michael Kern has seen mop-up duty in nine games over four years in the program.
8. Pittsburgh
Starter: Senior Phil Jurkovec (24 career starts at Boston College)
Backup: Sophomore Christian Veilleux
Situation heading into the fall: Pittsburgh turns to its second straight one-year grad transfer as Phil Jurkovec closes his career in his hometown. Jurkovec spent two years at Notre Dame as a backup before starting for three years at Boston College. He missed 11 games because of injury in his time at BC, including the final four games of 2022 with a knee injury. Jurkovec was healthy through spring ball and separated himself from the backups. He is reunited with offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, who was his offensive coordinator at BC in 2020 and 2021. The former four-star completed 59 percent of his passes for an average of 216 yards per game with 35 TDs and 17 INTs at BC, and he also ran for nine TDs. Veilleux saw action in five games over two years at Penn State before transferring to Pitt.
9. Louisville
Starter: Senior Jack Plummer (25 career starts — 12 at Cal, 13 at Purdue)
Backup: Senior Brock Domann
Situation heading into the fall: Jack Plummer reunites with Jeff Brohm for one final season. Plummer spent four years with Brohm at Purdue, his final three as a part-time starter before departing for Cal last season. Plummer started all 12 games for the 4-8 Bears and ranked eighth in the Pac-12 in passer rating. He completed 63 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns, nine interceptions and threw for 258 yards per game. Plummer went through spring practice with the Cardinals and is very comfortable in Brohm’s offense. Domann started four games last season when Malik Cunningham was injured and went 3-1 in his place, throwing three touchdowns and four interceptions.
TROCCHI: It is time for spring 'games' to be actual games
10. NC State
Starter: Senior Brennan Armstrong (30 career starts at Virginia)
Backup: Sophomore MJ Morris
Situation heading into the fall: Armstrong reunites with offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who he played for at Virginia in 2020 and 2021 when he threw for more than 6,500 yards and 49 touchdowns. After setting school records in 2021, Armstrong was disappointing in 2022 (without Anae), completing just 55 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions while taking 34 sacks in 10 games. With Devin Leary’s transfer to Kentucky, NC State was in the market for a quarterback, though Morris showed promise as a freshman with seven TDs and no INTs in essentially three games. Armstrong likely will be the Week 1 starter, but if he picks up where he left off in 2022, Morris will be called on early.
11. Syracuse
Starter: Senior Garrett Shrader (25 career starts – 21 at Syracuse, 4 at Mississippi State)
Backup: Sophomore Carlos Del Rio-Wilson or sophomore Justin Lamson
Situation heading into the fall: Shrader is the clear QB1 after having the fourth-highest passer rating in the ACC last year and accounting for 17 passing TDs and nine rushing TDs in 12 starts. He sat out the spring after minor surgery on his throwing arm but will be good to go in the fall. Shrader completed 65 percent of his passes for 220 yards per game, plus ran for another 38 yards per game (including sacks). Shrader and Syracuse started 6-0 but collapsed down the stretch, starting with a narrow loss at Clemson. Del Rio-Wilson, last season’s backup, and Lamson split reps at QB1 during the spring with Shrader out and that battle figures to continue through the fall.
12. Virginia Tech
Starter: Junior Grant Wells (34 career starts – 11 at Virginia Tech, 23 at Marshall)
Backup: Sophomore Kyron Drones
Situation heading into the fall: Wells is the clear starter ahead of Baylor transfer Drones after a season in which Wells threw for 197 yards per game with 11 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and six rushing touchdowns. Old Dominion transfer wide receiver Ali Jennings should make a big difference in the Va. Tech passing game. Jennings was third in the nation with 106.6 receiving yards per game, and he spent the spring trying to develop chemistry with Wells. The Hokies were 3-8 last season, so there is room for improvement in all areas, including the quarterback spot.
13. Georgia Tech
Starter: Sophomore Haynes King (7 career starts at Texas A&M) or freshman Zach Pyron (2 career starts at Georgia Tech)
Situation heading into the fall: This one looks still to be determined after a spring game that saw both see time with the first unit. King won the Texas A&M job in 2021, but lasted just two starts before suffering a season-ending broken leg. In 2022, he started five games but was benched a few times because of ineffectiveness. His best game came in a near upset of Alabama in which he threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the year completing 55 percent of his passes with seven TDs and six INTs. Pyron was a backup last season, winning his first start at Virginia Tech when he scored the winning touchdown in the final four minutes. He lost his job the next week at Miami and never got it back. In either case, it appears the Jackets will be taking a step back from Jeff Sims, who transferred to Nebraska and is expected to start.
14. Virginia
Starter: Sophomore Jay Woolfolk (1 career start at Virginia) or junior Tony Muskett (22 career starts at Monmouth)
Situation heading into the fall: Tony Elliott is not planning on naming a starter until shortly before the opener against Tennessee. Muskett got the majority of playing time in the spring because Woolfolk pitches for Virginia’s baseball team. Woolfolk participated in some practices but did not play in the spring game. Muskett was a three-year starter at Monmouth, where he was twice named first-team All-Big South. Woolfolk started for an injured Brennan Armstrong as a true freshman against Notre Dame, throwing for 196 yards with two interceptions in a 28-3 loss. This will be a closely contested competition in the fall.
15. Boston College
Starter: Sophomore Emmett Morehead (4 career starts at Boston College)
Backup: Junior Matthew Rueve
Situation heading into the fall: Three-year starter Phil Jurkovec is off to Pittsburgh to finish his college career, leaving the job to Morehead, who was up and down when subbing for an injured Jurkovec in 2022. Morehead led BC to a stunning 21-20 upset at NC State last year, throwing for 330 yards and three touchdowns. But he was also at the helm for a 44-0 loss at Notre Dame during which BC had 173 total yards and five turnovers (including three Morehead interceptions). Jeff Hafley promoted QBs coach Steve Shimko to offensive coordinator, and one of the keys will be improving an offensive line that ranked No. 129 nationally in sacks allowed. Rueve has been on campus for two years after signing as the No. 1-rated pro-style QB out of Ohio. He has not played in a game.
