With the ACC Kickoff happening this week and our 2018 ACC Football Preview magazine on the way to subscribers, we are releasing our rankings of the top 100 ACC football players heading into the 2018 season.
The first ten in our top 100 is a wide-ranging group, from a veteran quarterback – Duke’s Daniel Jones – to a true freshman quarterback – Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence – to a punter – Virginia’s Lester Coleman – to a return specialist – Virginia’s Joseph Reed. There’s also veteran Coastal Division defensive ends Trevon Hill of Virginia Tech and Victor Dimukeje of Duke, along with offensive linemen Terronne Prescod of NC State and Charlie Heck of North Carolina. NC State safety Jarius Morehead and Pitt running back Darrin Hall help round out this preseason look at the ACC’s top players.
100. Charlie Heck – Offensive Tackle, North Carolina
99. Victor Dimukeje – Defensive End, Duke
98. Joseph Reed – Return Specialist, Virginia
97. Daniel Jones – Quarterback, Duke
96. Trevon Hill – Defensive End, Virginia Tech
95. Darrin Hall – Running Back, Pittsburgh
94. Jarius Morehead – Safety, NC State
93. Lester Coleman – Punter, Virginia
92. Terronne Prescod – Offensive Guard, NC State
91. Trevor Lawrence – Quarterback, Clemson
While the 81-90 grouping is largely a collection of veterans, one of the two ACC true freshmen who made our top 100 – Miami running back Lorenzo Lingard – makes his introduction. The. ACC’s Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2017, Virginia’s Brenton Nelson, is also a part of this group. Landon Dickerson of Florida State and Ben Petrula of Boston College are All-ACC candidates along the offensive line, while Georgia Tech’s Brant Mitchell and NC State’s Germaine Pratt are two of the more explosive linebackers around the league. Boston College’s Michael Walker is the ACC’s top returning punt returner, and one of the top return specialists in the country. In addition, a pair of veteran rushers – Jordon Brown of North Carolina and Brittain Brown of Duke – are looking to emerge as the featured backs for the Tar Heels and Blue Devils.
90. Michael Walker – Return Specialist, Boston College
89. Germaine Pratt – Linebacker, NC State
88. Brittain Brown – Running Back, Duke
87. Darian Roseboro – Defensive Tackle, NC State
86. Ben Petrula – Center, Boston College
85. Jordon Brown – Running Back, North Carolina
84. Brant Mitchell – Linebacker, Georgia Tech
83. Lorenzo Lingard – Running Back, Miami
82. Brenton Nelson – Safety, Virginia
81. Landon Dickerson – Offensive Tackle, Florida State
A variety of dangerous weapons are in this group, including one of the ACC’s top returning specialists – Georgia Tech punter Pressley Harvin III – an emerging running back – Clemson’s Tavien Feaster – and underrated NC State play maker Jakobi Meyers. Boston College’s Will Harris led the nation last fall with four fumble recoveries. A pair of productive veteran defensive linemen – UNC’s Malik Carney and Syracuse’s Chris Slayton – are here, as well as Virginia Tech’s Yoshuah Nijman, who looks to put together an All-ACC campaign after getting injured late last season. There are also a pair of veteran quarterbacks at the end of this group – Syracuse’s Eric Dungey and Georgia Tech’s TaQuon Marshall. Both will attempt to prove they deserve to be higher on this list, though Dungey will have to do so with a largely-depleted Orange receiving corps.
80. TaQuon Marshall – Quarterback, Georgia Tech
79. Chris Slayton – Defensive Tackle, Syracuse
78. Eric Dungey – Quarterback, Syracuse
77. Yosuah Nijman – Offensive Tackle, Virginia Tech
76. Will Harris – Safety, Boston College
75. Pressley Harvin III – Punter/Kicker, Georgia Tech
74. Jakobi Meyers – Wide Receiver, NC State
73. Tavien Feaster – Running Back, Clemson
72. Malik Carney – Defensive End, North Carolina
71. Cody Conway – Offensive Tackle, Syracuse
The 61 through 70 rankings are dominated by defensive backs, as All-ACC candidates Juan Thornhill of Virginia, Jeremy McDuffie of Duke, Essang Bassey of Wake Forest, and Stanford Samuels III of Florida State all take their place. McDuffie would be much higher on this list if not for question marks coming off last season’s late knee injury. Louisville’s Jawon Pass is largely unknown around the ACC, but playing within one of the league’s most prolific offenses, he could be poised to break out. Veteran offensive lineman, including Wake Forest’s Justin Herron, Miami’s Tyler Gauthier, and NC State’s Garrett Bradbury, also shape up this group. While he may not be the featured back in Tallahassee with Cam Akers in town, Florida State’s Jacques Patrick will have plenty of chances to show he’s a marquee player this fall.
70. Jacques Patrick – Running Back, Florida State
69. Garrett Bradbury – Center, N.C. State
68. Stanford Samuels III – Cornerback, Florida State
67. Essang Bassey – Cornerback, Wake Forest
66. Rashad Weaver, Defensive End, Pittsburgh
65. Tyler Gauthier – Center, Miami
64. Jawon Pass – Quarterback, Louisville
63. Jeremy McDuffie – Safety, Duke
62. Justin Herron – Offensive Tackle, Wake Forest
61. Juan Thornhill – Safety, Virginia
Spots 51 through 60 are anchored by linebackers, including Miami’s Michael Pinckney, Pitt’s Oluwaseun Idowu, and Louisville’s Dorian Etheridge, as well as Florida State defensive linemen Demarcus Christmas and Brian Burns. Syracuse’s Ravian Pierce is one of only two tight ends around the league to make our top 100, while Clemson’s Trayvon Mullen is one of the ACC’s top up-and-coming cornerbacks. Louisville has a trio of sophomores in this group – Etheridge, offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, and wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick. Miami quarterback Malik Rosier could skyrocket up this list if he cuts down on the mistakes in 2018.
60. Dorian Etheridge – Linebacker, Louisville
59. Brian Burns – Defensive End, Florida State
58. Malik Rosier – Quarterback, Miami
57. Trayvon Mullen – Cornerback, Clemson
56. Dez Fitzpatrick – Wide Receiver, Louisville
55. Demarcus Christmas – Defensive Tackle, Florida State
54. Ravian Pierce – Tight End, Syracuse
53. Oluwaseun Idowu – Linebacker, Pittsburgh
52. Mekhi Becton – Offensive Tackle, Louisville
51. Michael Pinckney – Linebacker, Miami
Read more: Top 100 ACC football players of 2018: 50-1