The ACC was once the conference of quarterbacks boasting Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, Brad Kaaya, Ryan Finley, Daniel Jones, and Mitchell Trubisky as starters all at the same time (2016). This year looks like a potential down year for ACC QBs.
The Tigers will likely start Christopher Vizzina who has just one career start and didn’t get many opportunities to play last season other than a mostly impressive start against SMU. What QBs will he square off against? The Tigers won’t face CJ Bailey (NC State), Kevin Jennings (SMU), or Mason Heintschel (Pitt), but they’ll face several talented QBs who have already beat them before. In this article we countdown the four best ACC QBs the Tigers will face this season.
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4. Ethan Grunkemeyer (Virginia Tech)
Grunkemeyer was the #7 QB in his class and chose Penn State over Virginia and Indiana. He waited behind Drew Allar for a year and a half and when Allar was lost for the season mid-way through last season he took over. It was shaky at first as he had 1 TD and 4 INTs, but he and the team turned things around down the stretch. He threw 6 TDs with no picks and Penn State beat Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, and then Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. Tiger fans who watched the Pinstripe Bowl likely weren’t blown away, but Grunkmeyer’s play in that game, but it was clear he was the best QB in the contest.
With James Franklin moving to Virginia Tech, he brought Grunkemeyer over to be his starting QB for his first year in Blacksburg. With 476 snaps of experience last year, Ethan Grunkemeyer can hit the ground running for the Hokies.
3. Steve Angelli (Syracuse)
Angelli started his career at Notre Dame where he threw only 80 passes in two seasons. He posted a 10-1 TD-to-INT ratio in that scant time. After transferring to Syracuse, he promptly won the starting job — which was no gimme against a transfer from LSU Rickie Collins (who is now at Kennesaw St.) — and threw 10 TDs and 2 INTs.
His best performances came against UConn and Colgate, but he also shredded Clemson’s defense until he was injured in that contest. The injury ended up being a season-ending Achilles tear so that’s where his story pauses. He posted an excellent PFF grade and if healthy has a chance to resume being one of the top QBs in the ACC.
2. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele “JKS” (California)
The Bears finished 16th in the ACC in rushing offense and 13th in total defense, but towards the top (4th) in passing offense as JKS often put the team on his back. A game-winning drive in the final 2 minutes to beat Boston College and a 4 TD performance in a comeback win over SMU that knocked the Mustangs out of the ACC Championship were just some of the highlights.
Coach Justin Wilcox was dismissed at the conclusion of last year’s 7-6 season, but unlike most other QBs in his shoes, JKS stuck around to become the first QB of the Coach Tosh Lupoi era at Cal. Hailing from Hawaii, JKS is a likable, loyal leader who experienced a lot of individual success as a true freshman. He posted 3,454 passing yards, and while I believe in sophomore slumps, I also believe in growth and development. If the latter comes to fruition, he could be a household name by season’s end.
Darien Mensah (Miami)
After a redshirt year at Tulane, Mensah led the Green Wave to an AAC championship. He followed the money to Duke where he led the Blue Devils to an ACC Championship. He backed out of a large contract from Duke for even more from Miami and now appears poised to lead Miami to their first ever ACC title.
Mensah led the ACC in pass attempts (500), passing yards (3,973), passing TDs (39), and still had only 6 interceptions. He’ll have more support from his run game and defense in Miami and was fortunate to bring WR Cooper Barkate along with him from Duke. Barkate and Malachi Toney make for one of the best WR duos in the ACC. College football is crazy, but he is set up for success in a big way and should be mentioned in the same breath as Arch Manning (UT), Julian Sayin (OSU), and Dante Moore (UO) as the best QB in the sport and a Heisman frontrunner.