2024 ACC Quarterback Rankings (Part One):
Top Six Could End Up In Virtually Any Order
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
One of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most persistent marketing messages this summer has been its “Conference of Quarterbacks” theme.
Indeed, the ACC placed the most players (counting ties) on the preseason watch lists for the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (13), the Maxwell Award (10) and the Davey O’Brien Award (eight).
In the league’s preseason Player of the Year voting, Miami QB Cam Ward (a transfer from Washington State) topped the list, and three very productive returning starters also received votes: Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King and SMU’s Preston Stone.
During the preseason, at least a half-dozen ACC head coaches stated or implied that they believe their guy deserves top billing in the league, although some were much more direct than others.
“(King is) the best quarterback in the ACC,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “I won’t be surprised if he’s on every list at the end of the season. I am backing that up when I say that. That’s not bullcrap. That kid’s special.”
Viewed through the National Football League lens, too, the ACC has been impressive lately at the most important position on the field. Eight products of current ACC schools are projected to start at quarterback in Week One of the upcoming NFL regular season, and since 2018 the ACC is the only league that has had at least one quarterback drafted in the first round in five different drafts.
At the same time, though, some early projections of either the upcoming college football season or the 2025 NFL draft left the ACC’s quarterbacks out of the conversation almost entirely, with Georgia’s Carson Beck, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman, Houston’s Donovan Smith, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and/or Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart getting more national attention.
With college football’s “Week Zero” almost here, and three of the ACC’s top-ranked quarterbacks (Stone, King and new Florida State starter DJ Uiagalelei, a transfer from Oregon State) in action on Aug. 24, when the entire Football Bowl Subdivision schedule comprises only four games, it’s a good time for a quick overview of the ACC’s starting quarterbacks.
College football’s 2024 opener comes on an international stage, with #10 Florida State taking on Georgia Tech (noon, Saturday, ESPN) in Dublin, Ireland. That same evening, SMU visits Nevada in a nonconference matchup (8 pm, CBSSN).
The other 14 ACC teams will begin their seasons during the five-days-long Week One (Aug. 29-Sept. 2), which concludes on Labor Day.
The national QB rankings (among the 70 projected starters at power conference programs) and player evaluations below are from Pro Football Focus.
This is Part One of a three-part series. You can find Part Two here and Part Three here.
1. Preston Stone, SMU, 6-1/214, r-Jr., 13 career FBS starts (11-2 record)
PFF National Rank: #9
High School: 4-star prospect from Dallas (Texas) Episcopal
Recruitment: enrolled in 2021 as high school signee
Offensive Coordinator: Casey Woods, third season (third with Stone)
2023: 206-344 passing (59.9%), 3,197 yards, 28/6 TD/INT; 62-198 rushing (4 TDs)
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee on Stone, who turned down Texas and dozens of others coming out of high school: “He’s confident in who he is, and he’s confident in his own skin. He’s able to do what he wants to do or go out here and try to do something, maybe build and do things that haven’t been done instead of following the normal path.”
PFF College: “Before breaking his leg in SMU’s final regular-season game, Stone was one of the nation’s hottest quarterbacks in 2023. His 91.0 PFF passing grade through Week Four trailed only LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Oregon’s Bo Nix. His 8.2% big-time throw rate was also a top-five mark for the season. Assuming Stone is healthy, he leads one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, as the Mustangs aim to shake up the traditional power structure of the ACC.”
2. Cam Ward, Miami, 6-2/223, 5th-Year Sr., 25 career FBS starts (12-13 record)
PFF National Rank: #14
High School: 2-star prospect from Columbia (Texas) High
Recruitment: enrolled in 2024 as transfer (Washington State/Incarnate Word-FCS)
Offensive Coordinator: Shannon Dawson, second season (first with Ward)
2022: 320-497 passing (64.4%), 3,232 yards, 23/9 TD/INT; 107-58 rushing (5 TDs)
2023: 323-485 passing (66.6%), 3,736 yards, 25/7 TD/INT; 120-144 rushing (8 TDs)
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal on Ward: ““He’s helped us evolve. You’re not limited with him. He can do a lot of things. He’s got a tremendous capacity, a super-high football IQ, and his ability to improvise is sometimes better than the designed play. … He’s also such a high-IQ guy and so systematic that he does play within the system. If it’s not exactly the right call, he can make you right when you’re wrong with your call. Whether it be with his feet, whether it be with his arm angles, whether it be with his accuracy or his ability to just improvise … he’s really added a lot.”
PFF College: “Ward has climbed the college football ladder with stops at Incarnate Word (FCS) and Washington State before arriving at Miami this season. He should be primed for a breakout, with a supporting cast that includes a top-10 receiver in Xavier Restrepo. Ward is at his best when he makes quick decisions. His 90.3 PFF passing grade on throws released in under 2.5 seconds in 2023 was the second-best mark in the FBS last season, behind Oregon’s Bo Nix.”
3. DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State, 6-4/252, 5th-Year Sr., 40 career FBS starts (30-10 record)
PFF National Rank: #17
High School: 5-star prospect from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
Recruitment: enrolled in 2024 as transfer (Oregon State/Clemson)
Offensive Coordinator: Alex Atkins, second season (first with Uiagalelei)
2021: 208-374 passing (55.6%), 2,246 yards, 9/10 TD/INT; 105-308 rushing (4 TDs)
2022: 229-370 passing (61.9%), 2,521 yards, 22/7 TD/INT; 142-545 rushing (7 TDs)
2023: 180-315 passing (57.1%), 2,638 yards, 21/7 TD/INT; 68-219 rushing (6 TDs)
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell on Uiagalelei: “I think the journey has helped really build and develop DJ to who he is. He’s very smart. Obviously, he comes in, he spends a lot of time on his own being able to prepare himself. He’s so very well respected in the locker room because of his work ethic and what he does. … He’s been in the fire, and some of that has gone really well, and some of it he’s had to face challenges, and he had to work through those challenges throughout his journey. I think every part of those experiences has built into who he is. He’s done a wonderful job since he got here in January, just pouring into his teammates, really doing all that he could to invest into them.”
PFF College: “Uiagalelei put up a career year in his lone season at Oregon State and now will attempt to fill massive shoes in Tallahassee by replacing Jordan Travis. ‘DJU’ is an imposing physical presence with a huge arm. He’s also a very good play-action passer, which should make him a seamless fit in Mike Norvell’s offense. If he can further improve his accuracy and be a bit more involved in the run game, the Seminoles should compete for an ACC title despite losing a ton of talent to the NFL.”
4. Grayson McCall, NC State, 6-3/220, 6th-Year Sr., 40 career FBS starts (32-8 record)
PFF National Rank: #18
High School: 2-star prospect from Indian Trail (N.C.) Porter Ridge
Recruitment: enrolled in 2024 as transfer (Coastal Carolina)
Offensive Coordinator: Robert Anae, second season (first with McCall)
2020: 172-250 passing (68.8%), 2,488 yards, 26/3 TD/INT; 111-569 rushing (7 TDs)
2021: 176-241 passing (73.0%), 2,873 yards, 27/3 TD/INT; 93-290 rushing (4 TDs)
2022: 207-297 passing (69.7%), 2,700 yards, 24/2 TD/INT; 91-195 rushing (6 TDs)
2023: 151-224 passing (67.4%), 1,919 yards, 10/6 TD/INT; 53-48 rushing (1 TD)
NC State head coach Dave Doeren on McCall: ““He’s a winner. He’s won multiple, multiple championships. (Sun Belt Conference) Player of the Year three times. 10,000-yard passer. He’s also a local guy that didn’t get recruited by the ACC coming out of high school, so this is a year for him to show what kind of player he is. … To have a guy as proven as Grayson is — with the chip on his shoulder at the same time — is hard to find. It really is. I’m excited for him. Grateful that he came to our program, because he had other options. Excited that his family gets to be so close and a part of the last year of his journey at college.”
PFF College: “McCall had a spectacular career at Coastal Carolina. His 93.0 PFF overall grade since 2020 is tied with Jayden Daniels (Arizona State/LSU) and Dillon Gabriel (UCF/Oklahoma/Oregon) for eighth among qualified FBS quarterbacks. He’s not a high-volume passer, but he is incredibly efficient when given the right pieces to work with. Similar to Sam Hartman leaving Wake Forest last season, McCall’s transition to a more traditional offense will be the key to his season.”
5. Haynes King, Georgia Tech, 6-3/215, r-Jr., 20 career FBS starts (10-10 record)
PFF National Rank: #25
High School: 4-star prospect from Longview (Texas) High
Recruitment: enrolled in 2023 as transfer (Texas A&M)
Offensive Coordinator: Buster Faulkner, second season (second with King)
2023: 226-367 passing (61.6%), 2,842 yards, 27/16 TD/INT; 120-737 rushing (10 TDs)
Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key on King: “He’s the best quarterback in the ACC. I won’t be surprised if he’s on every list at the end of the season. I am backing that up when I say that. That’s not bullcrap. That kid’s special. … The cast of characters around him, he’s got some good ones. So, you know how the season goes – there’s so many unknowns, ups and downs, those things. But that kid right there, I’m getting in his foxhole.”
PFF College: “King is a great athlete who found his groove toward the end of last season as a dual-threat playmaker. He led the ACC with 27 passing touchdowns and ranked 10th among quarterbacks in explosive runs (27). He executes a variety of option concepts at a very high level. The caveat is that he led the Power Five in interceptions. If he can clean up his ball security, he can be one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in college football.”
6. Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech, 6-2/234, r-Jr., 11 career FBS starts (6-5 record)
PFF National Rank: #28
High School: 4-star prospect from Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek
Recruitment: enrolled in 2023 as transfer (Baylor)
Offensive Coordinator: Tyler Bowen, third season (second with Drones)
2023: 166-285 passing (58.2%), 2,085 yards, 17/3 TD/INT; 166-818 rushing (5 TDs)
Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry on Drones: “One of the things that’s exciting about him is he’s started (only 11) games in his career. You know, he’s still raw in a lot of ways, still young, doesn’t have a ton of experience. … But he’s a great worker, and he’s getting to those second- and third-level reads now, he’s throwing in tighter windows. He’s always been pretty confident, but that’s grown. He’s got tremendous respect amongst our team. I couldn’t be more proud of him right now.”
PFF College: “Drones’ dual-threat capabilities are a huge reason for the preseason hype surrounding the Hokies. He’s an imposing presence at 230-plus pounds and finished last season with the third-most rushing yards after contact among quarterbacks. He is an excellent play-action passer but needs work in non-play action scenarios, where he finished with a 51.3 PFF passing grade last season. Drones’ development within the pocket could upend the ACC title race.”
