ACC Football Positional Rankings 2013: Running Backs

Posted on June 19, 2013 by JohnCassillo

Devonta Freeman and Florida State Headline the ACC’s Running Backs for the 2013 Season

While we’re still over two months away from the season, it does indeed seem to be that time of year — when college football blogs like this one and so many others start churning out season preview materials. We’ll be holding off till July and August for the team-by-team season previews, but in the meantime, there’s nothing wrong with taking a look at each position on the field and evaluating ACC squads’ respective strengths and weaknesses.

This week, we’re on to the running backs (you can check out last week’s feature on quarterbacks, too). Though there’s not a whole lot of experience at the position — just one returning back (Syracuse’s Jerome Smith) rushed for 1,000 yards last year — this group makes up for a lot of that in potential. Many of the most talented runners this year will be sophomores or juniors, so that aforementioned experience will come with time. As for those who are seniors, many possess a significant leg-up, which you’ll find reflected here as well.

Keep in mind that these are full unit rankings — not just one player — so just because one individual quarterback is better than another, it doesn’t necessarily mean the team’s entire crop of passers is. Still, disagree with any of these picks? Share your own selections below.

ACC Positional Rankings 2013: Running Backs

1. Florida State Seminoles: Injuries ravaged the Florida State backfield in 2012. But because of that, the team’s top two returning rushers, Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr., actually have quite a bit of experience under their respective belts (221 carries between them last year). They’re both vertical runners for the most part, doing most of their work in the middle of the line, but Wilder, in particular, also has some pass-catching ability out of the backfield (19 catches for 136 yards and two scores last year). Expect that role to expand this year, while also incorporating Mario Pender, who’s the quickest back on the roster and anxious to contribute after red-shirting last season.

2. Miami Hurricanes: Miami’s ranking here is purely on the strength of sophomore Duke Johnson, and his success is likely to decide how far the ‘Canes go this season. Despite splitting carries with Mike James last year, Johnson still ran for 947 yards and 10 scores, while tacking on another 1,133 yards from receiving and kick returns. With that on his resume in just one season, he’s now being listed among the most dynamic players in the country and will be the focal point of every gameplan against Miami. He won’t be acting alone in the backfield, but there’s no telling what to expect from backups Dallas Crawford or Eduardo Clements either.

3. Syracuse Orange: SU’s offense was largely seen as a pass-first attack in 2012, but its success in the season’s second half was heavily reliant on the running game. The Orange bring back everybody this year, and arguably have one of the deepest backfields in the country. The group will be guided by Jerome Smith (1,171 yards last year), but this will be a multi-back, run-first system. Expect Prince-Tyson Gulley to approach the 200-carry mark as well, while the team gets additional contributions from short-yardage specialist Adonis Ameen-Moore and jack-of-all-trades Ashton Broyld in hybrid WR/RB slot role.

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ACC Football 2013 Payback Games: Georgia Tech

Posted on June 19, 2013 by JohnCassillo

The Hokies Defense Nullified Georgia Tech’s Late Heroics Last Year; Can the Wreck Return the Favor?

Every team in the ACC has a couple games they wish they had back from 2012. Whether they didn’t bring their A-game, or the other guys just got lucky, every school would love another shot at an opponent, for the ability to prove it won’t happen again. Luckily, because of conference play and parity in the ACC, many will get a chance at redemption immediately, with rematches already on the books for 2013.

As part of our 2013 college football season preview, we’ll be running through the biggest “payback” games for each school. As no team finished with just one loss, there are likely multiple choices for each — none more “right’ than another, necessarily. Still, every selection should help provide some extra motivation for fans as they gear up for this season’s slate of games.

Team: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Opponent: Virginia Tech Hokies

Last Year: Loss, 20-17 (OT) at Virginia Tech

This Year: September 26, vs. Virginia Tech

“The winner of the Virginia Tech/Georgia Tech game has won the Coastal Division every year since 2005,” said the popular refrain that pointed out an interesting quirk in the ACC following the initial round of expansion. While the quote forgot to mention how down the other four teams in the division were for most of those seven years (Miami was the only other team to really come close), the adage had held true until last year. Despite losing to Virginia Tech in a Labor Day showcase game, the Yellow Jackets (thanks to North Carolina and Miami being ineligible for the postseason) found themselves in the ACC Championship Game. Though there’s no need to rehash “what if” — Georgia Tech still made the league title game, despite the loss — it’s also very hard to avoid discussing how close the Wreck was to winning this early contest.

Jackets’ QB Tevin Washington had seemingly become an overnight hero, throwing a touchdown pass to give his team a 17-14 lead with just 44 seconds to play. All the defense had to do was keep VPI out of field goal range, yet they couldn’t and the game headed to overtime. With Georgia Tech receiving the ball first, Washington was given a second chance to be a hero, but instead, took on the role of goat — throwing an ill-advised third down interception that confirmed every weakness ever pointed out about him. Needing just a field goal to win, Virginia Tech put it through the uprights just three plays later for the victory.

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ACC Football Recruiting Class of 2014 Rankings Update (June 18)

Posted on June 18, 2013 by JohnCassillo

Clemson's Demarre Kitt is the Best of the ACC's Top Recruits in the Last Month

Clemson Commitment Demarre Kitt is the Best of the ACC’s Top Recruits in the Last Month

The 2013 college football season is still a couple months away, but with the 2014 recruiting season heating up, we’ve actually got things to keep track of. Like always, recruiting rankings mean absolutely nothing, especially when they’re compiled with nine months remaining in the recruiting period and no hard, binding letters signed yet. Still, it’s fun to see where teams stand, and if your school’s doing well, you get to give yourself a badge of pride for an afternoon (or whatever else you might do to get enjoyment out of this).

Below you’ll find a breakdown of ACC recruiting rankings from Rivals, 247Sports and Scout, as well as a breakdown of ACC players currently ranked in the ESPN 300.

ACC Football 2014 Recruiting Rankings (June 18)

Each service compiles rankings with a different scoring system, using the total number of points accumulated per school to decide their rank compared to all other classes. However, this also provides an unfair advantage to larger classes, emphasizing quantity over quality. With that in mind, we also included averages (except with 247, which won’t let us sort by average), to account for high-quality, smaller classes. For school with large classes right now, like Florida State, Boston College and Louisville, the overall rankings are an advantageous figure. But for schools with just a few recruits thus far, like Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Wake Forest, it hurts — which is where the averages come in. Also note that while Scout and Rivals use the standard “stars” system (1-5), 247Sports has an algorithm out of 100 that they explain on their site. Under “composite” below, you’ll find the average ranking score for each school (using both total score and average score), so we can get a much fuller picture on the quality of respective classes using a variety of methods.

TEAM	Total Players	Scout (pts)	Scout (avg)	Rivals (pts)	Rivals (avg)	247 (pts)	Composite
Clemson	11	13	19 (3.25)	9	4 (3.64)	12	11.40
Florida State	15	9	20 (3.2)	8	19 (3.38)	5	12.20
Miami	12	15	26 (3)	12	14 (3.45)	13	16.00
Louisville	15	22	35 (2.93)	15	52 (2.93)	16	28.00
Virginia	7	26	22 (3.14)	30	35 (3)	35	29.60
North Carolina	14	21	37 (2.86)	16	53 (2.93)	21	29.60
Virginia Tech	10	29	51 (2.5)	28	26 (3.25)	26	32.00
Boston College	15	32	54 (2.45)	19	57 (2.87)	24	37.20
NC State	11	46	63 (2.27)	29	54 (2.9)	31	44.60
Duke	11	42	55 (2.45)	31	68 (2.7)	29	45.00
Georgia Tech	9	53	59 (2.33)	32	55 (2.89)	33	46.40
Pittsburgh	2	71	32 (3)	83	46 (3)	80	62.40
Maryland	5	63	64 (2.2)	58	61 (2.8)	69	63.00
Syracuse	4	73	68 (2)	68	43 (3)	75	65.40
Wake Forest	3	79	78 (1.67)	86	79 (2.33)	84	81.20

When checking out the ESPN 300 rankings, you can also see that the majority of the ACC’s top recruits went to the top-ranked schools. A look at the top 10 ACC recruits:

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ACC Football 2013 Payback Games: Florida State

Posted on June 18, 2013 by JohnCassillo

NC State Scored a Memorable Upset Over Florida State Last Year; Can the ‘Noles Exact Revenge in 2013?

Team: Florida State Seminoles

Opponent: NC State Wolfpack

Last Year: Loss, 17-16 at NC State

This Year: October 26, vs. NC State

Yes, Florida State lost two games last year, and one of them was to archrival Florida. But this — the major upset loss to NC State on the road — was the one that likely hurt the most for ‘Noles players and fans alike. After beating highly-ranked Clemson in front of a national audience just two weeks prior, FSU suddenly looked flat in comparison to its no. 3 national ranking. With a manageable schedule, it appeared everyone was willing to push fears aside though; the Seminoles were set to compete for a national championship for the first time in more than a half-decade. And then the offense went overly conservative in the second half. The Wolfpack made the plays they needed to late in the contest. And we were left with a downtrodden, upset FSU team, a beleaguered conference and this indelible .gif.

The Seminoles course-corrected immediately following the loss — hi, 51-7 drubbing of Boston College — but the issue of Jimbo Fisher’s overly conservative play-calling at times never truly went away. One could argue it’s what kept the contests against overmatched Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech teams so close, and maybe what kept Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl for at least a half. It’s certainly what drove now-Miami offensive coordinator James Coley out of Tallahassee, being handcuffed by Fisher calling plays. So while the personnel is certainly different — both teams have new starting quarterbacks and offensive coordinators this year — there’s still plenty to learn from last year’s loss that can help bring FSU success against the Pack in 2013.

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ACC Football 2013 Payback Games: Duke

Posted on June 17, 2013 by JohnCassillo

Duke Can’t Hope to Stop Miami’s Offense in 2013; But Can They Outrun the ‘Canes Defense?

Team: Duke Blue Devils

Opponent: Miami Hurricanes

Last Year: Loss, 52-45 vs. Miami

This Year: November 16, vs. Miami

Though the Blue Devils had already been eliminated from Coastal Division title contention when this game wrapped up late last year, it didn’t mean Duke didn’t want that victory. After starting out 6-2, the team ended up dropping its final four regular season games and then a bowl game to finish 6-7, marking the 18th straight season the program had a losing mark. Yes, the postseason streak is over, and that’s certainly a moral victory, but a win over the Hurricanes to close out the ACC slate would’ve meant a guaranteed winning mark. However, in failing to do so, it does give the team something to build upon for 2013.

As resilient as ever, Duke actually played one of its better offensive games of the season against Miami, despite the fact that its defense allowed nearly 650 yards of total offense to the ‘Canes (the main reason Duke lost). In his last home game playing for the Blue Devils, senior Sean Renfree went 36-of-59 for 432 yards and four scores, while fellow senior Conner Vernon caught 11 passes (two for touchdowns). Even as the game appeared lost late in the third — Duke was down 45-24 — the team refused to quit, displaying the type of tenacity that had been lost virtually every week since the October upset over North Carolina. Alas, they would fall short in the comeback attempt, losing by a touchdown.

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ACC Football Positional Rankings 2013: Quarterbacks

Posted on June 13, 2013 by JohnCassillo

Clemson, Led by Tajh Boyd and Cole Stoudt, Have the ACC’s Top Quarterback Unit for 2013

This week, we start with the quarterback position. Last year it was a strength — or at least it was supposed to be — and while it could be once again in 2013, that will rely on some new starters stepping up in a big way. Though it may not be as top-heavy as last year’s crop (especially after seeing EJ Manuel, Mike Glennon, Ryan Nassib and Sean Renfree headed to the NFL), the ACC still possesses a really strong group of passers who all look to either start or end their careers on a positive note.

ACC Positional Rankings 2013: Quarterbacks

1. Clemson Tigers: Seeing both Tajh Boyd and offensive coordinator Chad Morris return was a godsend for the Tigers, who get one more year of the potent passing attack led by those two men. In 2012, Boyd broke out for over 4,400 total yards and now he has his eyes set on both a Heisman Trophy and a national title. Beyond Boyd, the team will lean mostly on Cole Stoudt in garbage time, after losing Chad Kelly tore his ACL in the spring. Stoudt, a junior, threw for 212 yards and three scores last season in relief of Boyd.

2. Louisville Cardinals: Teddy Bridgwater has all the hype and expectations anyone could possibly deal with in one season, yet I think he’ll still succeed. The Heisman contender and possible first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft is the core of a young Cardinals team that’s aiming to be unbeaten this fall. For when games get out of hand, the ball will likely be handed to Jerry Arlinghaus, the 6’4″ sophomore from nearby Covington, KY with a nice arm.

3. North Carolina Tar Heels: Bryn Renner‘s ability to transition to Larry Fedora’s spread offense has made him a rising star in the ACC, and don’t be surprised to see him put up even more impressive numbers as he closes out his senior season at Chapel Hill. Behind him, Fedora’s also stock-piling players who fit right into his system, with big passers like redshirt freshman Kanler Coker and true freshman Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky was named as “the next Johnny Manziel” by ESPN’s Joe Luginbill back in December, which is quite the name to live up to.

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NCAA Releases APR Rates: How ACC Football Fared

Posted on June 11, 2013 by JohnCassillo

Duke Once Again Topped the ACC’s APR Scores; But How Did the Other Schools Fare?

Today, the NCAA released its annual APR rates, which evaluates just how well institutions encourage actual “student athletes” to progress through school and graduate. As you may have heard, it’s caused some controversy around college sports, specifically because it penalizes schools for transfers, and schools see additional penalties if players don’t complete classes after declaring for the draft (more common in basketball than football, really).

Given the ACC‘s sense of academic stature, ratings like these should not be much of an issue, though. Out of a score of 1000, all you have to do is maintain at least a 930 (very few institutions were unable to do this during the 2011-12 evaluation period). And yet, a couple ACC schools struggled mightily. Two were just above the cut line, while another finished under. Just four were under 950 this year, though (compared to five last year). Overall, however, the league managed a pretty high average, with Duke achieving the third-highest football score in FBS, at 989. Northwestern was tops in FBS at 996, followed surprisingly by Boise State (993). The full ACC team breakdown for you:

Duke: 989

Clemson: 985

Georgia Tech: 983

Boston College: 982

Miami: 977

Wake Forest: 970

Virginia Tech: 970

Pittsburgh: 962

Virginia: 959

Syracuse: 958

Florida State: 954

NC State: 947