ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Football - 2023

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NC State QB MJ Morris entering transfer portal
Morris began the season as the Wolfpack's backup quarterback with plans to redshirt. But with starter Brennan Armstrong struggling, coach Dave Doeren made the decision to go with Morris in Week 6 to provide the team a spark.

Duke quarterback Riley Leonard enters transfer portal
Leonard started all 13 games for the Blue Devils during the 2022 season and threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also had 699 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns and was an All-ACC honorable mention selection for his performance.

Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins leaving early for NFL draft
Wiggins has been a productive player his entire career at Clemson, as he registered 14 pass deflections in 2022 and had eight breakups with two interceptions in 2023. Scouts have noticed his instincts and ability to get his hands on passes.

 

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THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL

Duke - North Carolina - Clemson - NC State - Virginia - Georgia Tech - Wake Forest - Miami - Virginia Tech - Florida State - Boston College - Louisville - Syracuse - Pittsburgh


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Related Links
ACC FOOTBALL - 2022

 

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Possible No. 1 pick Drake Maye to skip bowl, enter draft​

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, one of the top NFL prospects in college football, tells ESPN that he's forgoing the remainder of his eligibility at UNC to declare for the NFL draft. Maye, a redshirt sophomore, started all 26 games of his career during the past two seasons at UNC. He told ESPN on Monday that he will not play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl against West Virginia. He'll leave school with a 17-9 record as a starter.

Maye is a contender to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and his decision to declare sets the stage for a potential monthslong debate for that spot. USC quarterback Caleb Williams has not declared his intentions for 2024 but has also made clear he's not playing in the postseason.

Over his North Carolina career, Maye threw for 8,018 yards, ranking him fifth on UNC's all-time passing list. He ranks fourth on UNC's career touchdown list with 63. Maye led UNC to the ACC championship game in 2022, as the Tar Heels started the season 9-1 and ascended to as high as No. 13 in the rankings. This season, UNC began the year 6-0 and climbed as high as No. 10.

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Florida AG investigating CFP over Florida State's exclusion​

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Tuesday that she is launching an investigation into the College Football Playoff selection committee over the decision to leave Florida State out of the top four. Moody said the state's antitrust division is sending a civil investigative demand to the committee for "more information about the nature of possible contracts, conspiracies in restraint of trade or monopolization of trade and commerce relating to anticompetitive effects of the College Football Playoff."

Afterward, College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock issued a statement that read: "We will carefully review this demand for information, but it sure seems to be an overly aggressive reaction to a college football ranking in which some fans somewhere were bound to be disappointed." Florida State finished 13-0 and won the ACC title game, but became the first Power 5 conference champion to be left out of the playoff when teams were selected last week. As part of the investigation, Moody wants communications between the SEC, ACC, NCAA, ESPN, Group of 5 and Power 5 conferences as it relates to deliberations,

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Duke QB Riley Leonard announces transfer to Notre Dame​

Notre Dame landed its top quarterback target Tuesday, as the expected became reality when Duke transfer Riley Leonard announced on social media that he's committing to the Fighting Irish. Riley will be able to play immediately for the Irish in what will be his final year of eligibility. Leonard emerged as one of the top players and quarterbacks in the portal after back-to-back strong seasons at Duke, where his play led the Blue Devils to a pair of high-end seasons.

In 2022, he led Duke to one of the biggest turnarounds in college football, as he accounted for 33 touchdowns -- 20 passing and 13 rushing -- as Duke went 9-4 and blew out UCF in the Military Bowl. In 2023, he led Duke to a win over Clemson in the opener and pushed the Blue Devils to the school's highest national ranking, No. 16, since 1994. Leonard was hobbled by an ankle injury suffered late in the loss to Notre Dame, which forced him to miss the following week's game against NC State.

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Former Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke transferring to Wisconsin​

Former Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, a three-year starter for the Hurricanes, is set to transfer to Wisconsin, he announced Tuesday. Van Dyke, the 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year, recently visited Wisconsin, which was the favorite to land him for the 2024 season. The Glastonbury, Connecticut, native has played under different offensive coordinators in each of the past three seasons. He had his most success under playcaller Rhett Lashlee in 2021, when he recorded 2,931 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions. After struggling in 2022, Van Dyke completed a career-high 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,703 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He entered the transfer portal on Nov. 28, shortly after Miami finished the regular season at 7-5.

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Florida AG investigating CFP over Florida State's exclusion​

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Tuesday that she is launching an investigation into the College Football Playoff selection committee over the decision to leave Florida State out of the top four. Moody said the state's antitrust division is sending a civil investigative demand to the committee for "more information about the nature of possible contracts, conspiracies in restraint of trade or monopolization of trade and commerce relating to anticompetitive effects of the College Football Playoff."

Afterward, College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock issued a statement that read: "We will carefully review this demand for information, but it sure seems to be an overly aggressive reaction to a college football ranking in which some fans somewhere were bound to be disappointed." Florida State finished 13-0 and won the ACC title game, but became the first Power 5 conference champion to be left out of the playoff when teams were selected last week. As part of the investigation, Moody wants communications between the SEC, ACC, NCAA, ESPN, Group of 5 and Power 5 conferences as it relates to deliberations,

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CFP's Bill Hancock responds to Sen. Rick Scott over FSU omission​

College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock responded to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and several other Florida congressmen over their demands for "full transparency" from the selection committee about why undefeated Florida State was left out of the playoff. In a letter sent Friday, Hancock told Scott the decision to rank Florida State No. 5 was based on two principal reasons: The protocol the committee uses requires it to take injuries into consideration, and it determined Jordan Travis' season-ending injury "caused the committee to believe that there were indeed four teams that should rank higher than FSU." In addition, Hancock said the Seminoles' strength of schedule was not as strong as those of the four teams ranked ahead of them: No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama.

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Top 10 CFP Poll

No. 1: Michigan | 13-0
No. 2: Washington | 13-0
No. 3: Texas | 12-1
No. 4: Alabama | 12-1
No. 5: Florida State | 13-0
No. 6: Georgia | 12-1
No. 7: Ohio State | 11-1
No. 8: Oregon | 11-2
No. 9: Missouri | 10-2
No. 10: Penn State | 10-2

No. 9: Louisville | 10-3
No. 18: NC State | 9-3
No. 22: Clemson | 8-4

Bold -- ACC

 

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Florida State's Trey Benson to enter NFL draft, skip Orange Bowl​

Florida State running back Trey Benson will enter the NFL draft and will not play in the Capital One Orange Bowl for the Seminoles, he announced Sunday. Benson, who rushed for 905 yards and 14 touchdowns this season while averaging 5.8 yards per carry, is the No. 2-rated running back by ESPN NFL draft insider Mel Kiper Jr. Benson, a redshirt junior who had a long rehab journey following major knee surgery at Oregon in 2020, moved to FSU and immediately found success, rushing for 990 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022. He also had a receiving touchdown and a kickoff return in his two seasons at FSU, giving him 25 total TDs in two seasons.

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Syracuse QB Garrett Shrader out for bowl game after surgery​

Syracuse quarterback Garrett shrader won't be available for the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl against South Florida after shoulder surgery, ending his college career. Shrader was limited in Syracuse's last four games of the season while dealing with a shoulder injury. Instead, the Orange turned to tight end Dan Dan Villan, who largely served as a Wildcat option. Shrader played a bigger role in the team's regular-season finale against Wake Forest, throwing three touchdowns and locking up bowl eligibility for the Orange.

Shrader's six-year career included three seasons at Mississippi State, including a redshirt year, before transferring to Syracuse, where he's served as the team's starter for the majority of the past three seasons. He finished 2023 with 13 passing touchdowns and eight more on the ground.

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Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa opts out of Music City Bowl​

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the Big Ten's all-time passing yards leader, is opting out of the team's upcoming bowl appearance and will begin preparation for the NFL draft. The younger brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa , who starred at Alabama for coach Nick Saban and Locksley, Taulia Tagovailoa set almost every Maryland passing record, including yards, touchdowns (77), career completions (955), career completion percentage (67.1) and career 300-yard games (15). He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in each of the past two seasons, and also set Maryland's career record for total offense (11,473 yards). Tagovailoa transferred to Maryland from Alabama after the 2019 season.

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Florida AG investigating CFP over Florida State's exclusion​

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Tuesday that she is launching an investigation into the College Football Playoff selection committee over the decision to leave Florida State out of the top four. Moody said the state's antitrust division is sending a civil investigative demand to the committee for "more information about the nature of possible contracts, conspiracies in restraint of trade or monopolization of trade and commerce relating to anticompetitive effects of the College Football Playoff."

Afterward, College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock issued a statement that read: "We will carefully review this demand for information, but it sure seems to be an overly aggressive reaction to a college football ranking in which some fans somewhere were bound to be disappointed." Florida State finished 13-0 and won the ACC title game, but became the first Power 5 conference champion to be left out of the playoff when teams were selected last week. As part of the investigation, Moody wants communications between the SEC, ACC, NCAA, ESPN, Group of 5 and Power 5 conferences as it relates to deliberations,

Click Here For Full Story

CFP's Bill Hancock responds to Sen. Rick Scott over FSU omission​

College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock responded to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and several other Florida congressmen over their demands for "full transparency" from the selection committee about why undefeated Florida State was left out of the playoff. In a letter sent Friday, Hancock told Scott the decision to rank Florida State No. 5 was based on two principal reasons: The protocol the committee uses requires it to take injuries into consideration, and it determined Jordan Travis' season-ending injury "caused the committee to believe that there were indeed four teams that should rank higher than FSU." In addition, Hancock said the Seminoles' strength of schedule was not as strong as those of the four teams ranked ahead of them: No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama.

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Top 10 CFP Poll

No. 1: Michigan | 13-0
No. 2: Washington | 13-0
No. 3: Texas | 12-1
No. 4: Alabama | 12-1
No. 5: Florida State | 13-0
No. 6: Georgia | 12-1
No. 7: Ohio State | 11-1
No. 8: Oregon | 11-2
No. 9: Missouri | 10-2
No. 10: Penn State | 10-2

No. 9: Louisville | 10-3
No. 18: NC State | 9-3
No. 22: Clemson | 8-4

Bold -- ACC

Florida State still struggling with CFP exclusion, coach says​

"The most challenging couple weeks of coaching I've ever had." That's how the past two weeks have gone for Florida State coach Mike Norvell since the Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff despite their 13-0 record. Norvell said he spoke to the team immediately after the College Football Playoff committee's decision on Dec. 3 to move FSU from No. 4 to No. 5 in the final rankings -- jumped by both Texas and Alabama and followed that up with several text messages to players while he was on the road recruiting. Florida State was ranked in the CFP's top four for much of the season, but when quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a season-ending leg injury against North Alabama in Week 13, the offense struggled to regroup, scoring just 40 points in wins over Florida and Louisville to close out the season.

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FSU DE Jared Verse to enter NFL draft, skip Orange Bowl​

Florida State defensive end Jared Verse announced Tuesday he will opt out of the Orange Bowl against Georgia and enter the NFL draft. Verse is ranked the No. 15 prospect for the 2024 NFL draft on Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest Big Board. A 6-foot-4, 260-pound junior, Verse transferred from FCS Albany to Florida State in 2022 and went from under-the-radar prospect to one of the best defensive players in college football. This past season, Verse was a first-team AFCA All-American and an All-ACC first-team selection, with 41 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks and a forced fumble. He came on strong in the final two games of the season, with a career-high 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss in a road win at rival Florida, and two sacks and three tackles for loss in Florida State's ACC championship win over Louisville.

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Georgia flips top safety recruit K.J. Bolden from Florida State​

Georgia made a big move on the first day of the early recruiting signing period by flipping five-star safety K.J. Bolden from Florida State. Bolden is the No. 16 prospect overall and the No. 1 safety -- in the ESPN 300 and had been committed to the Seminoles since August. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound recruit from Buford, Georgia, gives the Dawgs three five-star commitments. He's joined by corner Ellis Robinson IV and linebacker Justin Williams in the Bulldogs' top-ranked class.

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Florida State calls special board meeting amid uncertain future​

Florida State has called a special board of trustees meeting for Friday morning. While no official reason was given for the meeting, sources indicated to ESPN that the board is expected to discuss its long-term athletics future. Any ACC school that wants to leave the conference would have to challenge the grant of rights. Florida State and all other ACC members signed a grant of rights with the league that runs through 2036, the length of its television contract with ESPN, that gives the league control over its media rights -- including television revenue and home game broadcasts in all sports. In addition, any school that wants to leave the ACC would have to pay an exit fee of three times the league's operating budget, or roughly $120 million.

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ACC Football Schedule | Bowl Games
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December 21, 2023
South Florida @ Syracuse

December 22, 2023
Georgia Tech @ UFC

December 23, 2023
Troy @ Duke

December 27, 2023
Virginia Tech @ Tulane
North Carolina @ West Virginia
#15 Louisville @ USC

December 28, 2023
#24 SMU @ Boston College
Rutgers @ Miami
#18 NC State @ #25 Kansas State

December 29, 2023
#22 Clemson @ Kentucky

December 30, 2023
#6 Georgia @ #5 Florida State​

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ACC College Football Scorebord | Bowl Games
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Florida State suing ACC over grant of rights, withdrawal fee​

The Florida State board of trustees voted unanimously Friday to sue the ACC to challenge the legality of the league's grant of rights and its $130 million withdrawal fee, a necessary first step to plot the school's future and potential exit from the conference. The 38-page lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Court in Tallahassee, Florida, seeks a declaratory judgment against the ACC to void the grant of rights and withdrawal fee as "unreasonable restraints of trade in the state of Florida and not enforceable in their entirety against Florida State."

"Florida State's decision to file action against the Conference is in direct conflict with their longstanding obligations and is a clear violation of their legal commitments to the other members of the Conference," the statement said. "All ACC members, including Florida State, willingly and knowingly re-signed the current Grant of Rights in 2016, which is wholly enforceable and binding through 2036. Each university has benefited from this agreement, receiving millions of dollars in revenue and neither Florida State nor any other institution, has ever challenged its legitimacy."

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Former Miami WR Colbie Young transferring to Georgia​

Georgia coach Kirby Smart dipped into the transfer portal for another wide receiver Saturday, adding Miami's Colbie Young. Young, a junior from Binghamton, New York, will have one season of eligibility left with the Bulldogs. He had 79 receptions for 939 yards with 10 touchdowns the past two seasons at Miami. Young also considered Penn State and Wisconsin as transfer destinations.

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Former Texas QB Maalik Murphy transferring to Duke​

Former Texas quarterback Maaik Murphy has committed to transfer to Duke, giving the Blue Devils and first-year coach Manny Diaz a key building block. Murphy, one of the top quarterbacks in the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, announced his decision on social media Saturday, saying he is "106% Committed." Murphy is a 6-foot-5, 238-pound redshirt freshman who brings high-end arm talent to the position. He will be immediately eligible and has three seasons remaining. Murphy won both of the games he started for Texas this season as a redshirt freshman, beating both BYU and Kansas State. Murphy threw for 477 yards and three touchdowns as he served as Texas' primary backup behind Quinn Ewers and ahead of freshman Arch Manning. Duke's starting job opened when star quarterback Riley Leonard decided to commit to Notre Dame. Leonard entered the NCAA transfer portal soon after coach Mike Elko took the Texas A&M job.

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Florida State suing ACC over grant of rights, withdrawal fee​

The Florida State board of trustees voted unanimously Friday to sue the ACC to challenge the legality of the league's grant of rights and its $130 million withdrawal fee, a necessary first step to plot the school's future and potential exit from the conference. The 38-page lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Court in Tallahassee, Florida, seeks a declaratory judgment against the ACC to void the grant of rights and withdrawal fee as "unreasonable restraints of trade in the state of Florida and not enforceable in their entirety against Florida State." The university alleges "chronic fiduciary mismanagement and bad faith" in the way the ACC has handled its multimedia rights agreements and undermined its members' revenue opportunities. Florida State is also accusing the ACC of breach of contract and failure to perform.

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ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Football - 2023​