The ACC Coastal Division underwent a major transformation this offseason because of the coaching carousel.
Four schools in that division – Duke, Miami, Virginia and Virginia Tech – will have new coaches in 2021. Mike Elko, Mario Cristobal, Tony Elliott and Brent Pry are in the conference now, and there are some impact transfer quarterbacks to watch.
That's not all. Pitt, the returning conference champion, will replace Heisman finalist Kenny Pickett this season with USC transfer Kedon Slovis. Wake Forest might have this year's surprise contender in veteran Sam Hartman. Of course, there is intrigue at Clemson with an incoming freshman, too.
What do those quarterback rooms in the ACC look like? Sporting News will sort out the returners and transfers, with the promise that there is more to come this offseason.
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Today we breakdown the ACC. Let's go in alphabetical order:
ACC Atlantic
Boston College (6-6, 2-6)
2021 recap: Phil Jurkovec suffered a wrist injury in the Eagles' second game of the season, and he missed six games. Backup Dennis Grossel finished with 1,216 yards, six TDs and seven interceptions in his place. Jurkovec returned in November and played in Boston College's last four games.
2021-22 offseason: Jeff Hafley enters his third season with a new offensive coordinator. Frank Cignetti Jr. left to take the same job at Pitt, and the Eagles hired Notre Dame tight ends coach John McNulty. Jurkovec, a Notre Dame transfer, returns. Redshirt freshman Emmett Morehead has the inside track on the backup job. The Eagles added three-star quarterback Peter Delaportas in the 2022 class.
What to look for in spring: Jurkovec is the guy, and he had 45 carries for 261 yards and five TDs after he returned last season. Will he be a featured runner with McNulty?
Clemson (10-3, 6-2)
2021 recap: D.J. Uiagalelei took over for Trevor Lawrence, and it was a tough transition from the opener against Georgia onward. Uiagalelei finished with 2,246 yards, nine TDs and 10 interceptions. He did not have a 300-yard game and was ninth in QB rating in the ACC.
2021-22 offseason: Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott took the Virginia job, and Dabo Swinney promoted from within with Brandon Streeter to fill that spot. The Tigers do have the top quarterback in the class of 2022 in five-star Cade Klubnik, and former five-star Clemson commit Hunter Johnson is transferring back to the school after four disappointing years at Northwestern. Backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh is in the transfer portal.
What to look for in spring: The Tigers still won 10 games, and a fresh coordinator's take might help. Uiagalelei will open the spring as a starter, but there will be a high fascination factor with Klubnik. The Tigers passing game has to improve if it wants to reclaim the ACC championship.
Florida State (5-7, 4-4)
2021 recap: UCF transfer McKenzie Milton completed a dramatic return to the field against Notre Dame, but it was Jordan Travis who took most of the snaps in Mike Norvell's second season. Travis finished with 1,539 yards, 15 TDs and six interceptions and 530 rushing yards and seven TDs.
2021-22 offseason: Norvell promoted offensive line coach Alex Atkins to offensive coordinator. Travis returns, and Milton is moving on. Chubba Purdy transferred to Nebraska, and the Seminoles added four-star IMG Academy quarterback A.J. Duffy in this year's class.
What to look for in spring: Travis threw just one interception in his last three starts and had three games with at least 100 yards rushing. Quarterback is not a question mark for the Seminoles heading into 2022.
Louisville (6-7, 4-4)
2021 recap: Three-year starter Malik Cunningham passed for 2,941 yards, 19 TDs and six interceptions. He added 1,031 rushing yards and 20 rushing TDs, which led all QBs by a wide margin. The Cardinals, however, had their second straight losing season under coach Scott Satterfield.
2021-22 offseason: Cunningham is returning for the 2022 season, and he will work with a new offensive coordinator in Lance Taylor, who was the running backs coach at Notre Dame. The Cardinals did not lose any QBs to the transfer portal and picked up three-star recruit Khalib Johnson in this year's class.
What to look for in spring: Cunningham has improved with each season, and the Cardinals have averaged 31.5 points per game in that stretch. How does Taylor influence Cunningham's game? Will Cunningham run less after leading the Cardinals with 173 attempts last season?
NC State (9-3, 6-2)
2021 recap: Devin Leary returned from a leg injury in 2020 and had a fantastic season for the Wolfpack. He finished with 3,433 yards and a school-record 35 TD passes. That came with just five interceptions.
2021-22 offseason: Dave Doeren is back, and offensive coordinator Tim Beck is in his third season. Leary announced he is returning for 2022, which gives NC State one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC. The Wolfpack also picked up four-star quarterback MJ Morris in the 2022 recruiting class.
What to look for in spring: Who will be Leary's backup? Redshirt freshman Ben Finley, the younger brother of former Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley, will look to hold on to that job.
Syracuse (5-7, 2-6)
2021 recap: Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader played in 12 games for the Orange. He finished with 1,437 yards, nine TDs and four interceptions, and he also ran for 14 touchdowns.
2021-22 offseason: Dino Babers enters his seventh season with a new offensive coordinator in Robert Anae, who served in the same position with Virginia from 2016-21. Tommy DeVito transferred to Illinois, but the Orange added depth with Michigan backup Dan Villari.
What to look for in spring: Shrader will start, but he could get a push from Villari in fall camp. The Orange need to be more efficient in the passing game, and Anae should help with that.
Wake Forest (11-3, 7-1)
2021 recap: The Demon Deacons broke through with an ACC championship season. Sam Hartman passed for 4,228 yards, 39 TDs and 14 interceptions. Wake Forest scored 41 points per game.
2021-22 offseason: Coach Dave Clawson and offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero are back for their ninth season together, and Hartman will be back for a fifth season with the Deacons. Wake Forest added three-star quarterback Brett Griffis in its 2022 class.
What to look for in spring: Hartman could work into the Heisman conversation if he puts together another productive season, but he needs to improve on a 58.9% completion percentage.
ACC Coastal
Duke (3-9, 0-8)
2021 recap: Gunnar Holmberg saw the most action at quarterback. He finished with 2,358 yards, seven TDs and eight interceptions. Jordan Moore saw action in 10 games, and Riley Leonard played in six games.
2021-22 offseason: David Cutfliffe is out, and Mike Elko takes over as head coach. He hired Memphis offensive coordinator Kevin Johns for the same position. Holmberg transferred to FIU. The Blue Devils added three-star quarterback Henry Belin in this year's class.
What to look for in spring: Moore, Riley and redshirt freshman Luca Diamont will compete for the starting job, and Belin could get in on the action. The Blue Devils could be in the market for a late spring transfer via the portal. It's a wide-open competition.
Georgia Tech (3-9, 2-6)
2021 recap: Jeff Sims and Jordan Yates saw extensive action. Sims had 1,468 yards, 12 TDs and seven interceptions. Yates had 903 yards, six TDs and three interceptions. Sims did average 5.3 yards per carry, and that gives him the edge to be the starter in 2022.
2021-22 offseason: Geoff Collins is in a must-win year, and he hired former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long, who had the same position at Tulane last season. Yates is in the transfer portal, and Georgia Tech added Akron quarterback Zach Gibson and three-star recruit Zach Pryson.
What to look for in spring: How does Sims adjust with a new offensive coordinator? Sims will be in the front of the line to start, but there is a competition to give him a push.
Miami (7-5, 5-3)
2021 recap: D'Eriq King was one of the early NIL stars, but he played in just three games before suffering a shoulder injury that kept him out for most of the season. Tyler Van Dyke played in 10 games and finished with 2,931 yards, 25 TDs and six interceptions.
2021-22 offseason: Manny Diaz was fired, and Mario Cristobal returns to his alma mater as head coach. Cristobal hired Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, who won the Broyles Award in 2021. Van Dyke and Jake Garcia return, and the Hurricanes added four-star quarterback Jacurri Brown in this year's class.
What to look for in spring: Brown is a 6-4, 205-pound quarterback who will have time to develop behind Van Dyke. It will be a transition to Gattis' offense, but that system is quarterback friendly. Van Dyke should build on last year's unexpected breakout.
North Carolina (6-7, 3-5)
2021 recap: Sam Howell was a Heisman favorite entering last season, but the Tar Heels lost the opener at Virginia Tech and never really got on track. Howell finished with 3,056 yards, 24 TDs and nine interceptions. He finished with school records in passing yards (10,293) and TDs (92).
2021-22 offseason: Mack Brown and offensive coordinator Phil Longo return for a fourth season in what has been a fun and productive offense. Howell entered the NFL Draft. Nobody left via the transfer portal, and North Carolina added three-star recruit Conner Harrell in this year's class.
What to look for in spring: The Tars Heels have a competition coming with two quarterbacks who have come up through the program. Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye both saw limited action last season. Both were four-star recruits. Will one separate at spring practice?
Pitt (11-3, 7-1)
2021 recap: Super senior Kenny Pickett carried the Panthers to an ACC championship. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting after compiling 4,319 yards, 43 TDs and seven interceptions. He opted out of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, and Nick Patti and Davis Beville both saw time in his place.
2021-22 offseason: Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple left to take the job at Nebraska. Pat Narduzzi replaced Whipple with Cignetti Jr., who was the offensive coordinator for the Panthers from 2009-10. Slovis comes to Pitt from USC and is the presumed starter.
What to look for in spring: Slovis and Cignetti Jr. will be hard-pressed to duplicate Pickett's big year, but that does not mean there won't be success. Slovis completed 68.4% passing with 58 TDs and 24 interceptions at USC. He could find similar success with the Panthers.
Virginia (6-6, 4-4)
2021 recap: Brennan Armstrong ranked second in the FBS with 4,700 yards of total offense for the Cavaliers. He missed one game because of a rib injury, and Jay Woolfolk started in his place. Bronco Mendenhall stepped down after six seasons.
2021-22 offseason: The Cavaliers hired Elliott, who has been Clemson's offensive coordinator since 2015. He hired Atlanta Falcons running backs coach Desmond Kitchings as offensive coordinator. Armstrong announced his return, and Woolfolk is back, too. Jacob Rodriguez transferred to Texas Tech, but Virginia added three-star quarterbacks Davis Lane and Delaney Crawford in this year's class.
What to look for in spring: Elliott worked with elite quarterback talent at Clemson. Armstrong should be the same productive QB and could be more efficient this season.
Virginia Tech (6-7, 4-4)
2021 recap: Braxton Burmeister passed for 1,960 yards, rushed for 521 yards and totaled 17 TDs in another up-and-down season for the Hokies. Justin Fuente was let go after six seasons in Blacksburg.
2021-22 offseason: Longtime Penn State assistant Brent Pry takes over, and he brought former co-offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen with him. Burmeister transferred to San Diego State and backup Knox Kadum transferred to Murray State. The Hokies picked up Marshall's Grant Wells and South Carolina's Jason Brown. Senior Connor Blumrick, freshman Tahj Bullock and incoming three-star recruit Devin Farrell also are on the roster.
What to look for in spring: Wells was a two-year starter with the Thundering Herd who piled up 5,626 yards, 34 TDs and 20 interceptions. He is the best bet to take hold of the starting job.
