Breaking down The Chronicle’s preseason ACC football ballots

The ACC released its annual 2025 media poll and preseason All-ACC team last week. Clemson emerged as the overwhelming favorite in the conference and led the way with 11 selections on the All-ACC team.

Two of The Chronicle’s football beat writers, Ranjan Jindal and Caleb Dudley, had the opportunity to cast their ballots after their trip to Charlotte for the ACC Kickoff, where they spoke to Duke’s Manny Diaz, Darian Mensah, Brian Parker II, Chandler Rivers and Wesley Williams about the upcoming season. Below are their selections and reasoning. 

After reading this, listen to the inaugural episode of Blue Devil Beat, where they break down their ballot and discuss how Duke fits into the league. The video podcast is on the multimedia tab on the website and available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

You can also continue to check out positional previews and other preseason football coverage in the upcoming weeks. The Blue Devils, who earned a No. 6 preseason ranking in the conference poll, kick off their season Aug. 28 at home against Elon.

Predicted order of finish

Jindal: I, along with most everyone in the media, believe Clemson is the best and most complete team in this conference with its returning talent and the defensive transfer portal additions. I do think the Tigers’ schedule is a bit more challenging than most people are noting, and there are multiple formidable challengers.

In my next tier, SMU should only get better with another year of quarterback Kevin Jennings, and I believe head coach Rhett Lashlee addressed the losses in the trenches and secondary well via the portal. Miami has elite potential with its offensive line play and an improved defense on paper, but its receiving core is a question mark for me. The Hurricanes have to travel to Dallas to play SMU, but they could easily sneak into the College Football Playoff without winning the league due to their nonconference schedule. Finally, a healthy Haynes King can take Georgia Tech to new heights, including the conference championship game. 

I place a heavy emphasis on conference schedules in these rankings; it plays a significant role in the order of finish with conference expansion and the absence of divisions. For this year, the schedule roulette appears to benefit teams like Georgia Tech and hurt those including Louisville and Syracuse. Duke is another benefactor that could sneak into the top tier if the Blue Devils win their road matchups across the country. Another team I’m watching is Pittsburgh. On the offensive end, running back Desmond Reid and quarterback Eli Holstein form a nice one-two punch that, combined with an elite linebacker core, increases the floor for the well-coached Panthers. 

Further down, I’m intrigued by the quarterbacks in this conference from top to bottom. CJ Bailey at N.C. State and Kyron Drones at Virginia Tech are both electrifying playmakers who can steal some wins from the best in the conference. Virginia’s Chandler Morris could take head coach Tony Elliott’s bunch out of the ACC basement and to a bowl game. 

Dudley: My prediction for top dog this year is no shocker. Clemson continues to be the class of the league even in a new era of college football. With Heisman candidate Cade Klubnik, defensive stalwarts TJ Parker and Peter Woods and an experienced offensive line, I find it hard to imagine a world in which the Tigers do not make it to Charlotte in December. Although, I chose eventual 17th-place Florida State to win the league last year. 

Like Ranjan, I place a heavy emphasis on the whims of the schedule makers when compiling this ranking. And as previously mentioned, Georgia Tech lucks out this season with one of the lighter schedules on paper. Combine that with the returned firepower of Malik Rutherford, King and Jamal Haynes, and I have the Yellow Jackets matching up with Clemson for a chance at the ACC crown. 

In the tier just below, I have Miami, SMU and Louisville. All three teams made significant additions in the transfer portal, with the Hurricanes and Cardinals finding new signal callers and the Mustangs beefing up an offensive front that caused them trouble in last year’s College Football Playoff. I do believe Miami head coach Mario Cristobal is due to break through at some point, but I don’t think the program’s return to glory is due in the 2025-26 season. Duke comes in on my ballot just below these programs, and I think the Blue Devils are fortunate to dodge all three on the schedule, a scenario that could shoot them up the eventual final ladder. 

Farther down the list, I am keeping an eye on a few storylines. First, I fully expect Florida State to return to relevancy after a nightmare campaign last fall. The addition of Thomas Castellanos as well as several staff shakeups ought to do the Seminoles some favors, and the roster still has plenty of talent. Along with the rest of the national media, I am fascinated to see what happens down the road in Chapel Hill, as the entire first roster of Bill Belichick’s tenure is full of mystery. Finally, can Syracuse play spoiler again this year in the conference after losing Kyle McCord and Oronde Gadsden II? 

All-ACC team

Jindal:

Offense                       

QB: Cade Klubnik, Clemson

RB: Isaac Brown, Louisville

RB: Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech

WR: Antonio Williams, Clemson

WR: Chris Bell, Louisville

WR: Duce Robinson, Florida State

TE: RJ Maryland, SMU

AP: Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh

OT: Blake Miller, Clemson

OT: Francis Mauigoa, Miami

OG: Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech

OG: Logan Taylor, Boston College

C: James Brockermeyer, Miami

Defense and specialists

DL: TJ Parker, Clemson

DL: Rueben Bain, Jr., Miami (FL) 

DT: Peter Woods, Clemson 

DT: Darrell Jackson Jr.,  Florida State 

LB: Sammy Brown, Clemson 

LB: Tre Freeman, Duke 

LB: Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh 

CB: Chandler Rivers, Duke

CB: Jeremiah Wilson, Florida State

S: Terry Moore, Duke

S: Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU

PK: Collin Rogers, SMU

P: Jack Stonehouse, Syracuse

SP: Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh

Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox

Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.

Klubnik has certainly had an up-and-down college career, but his improvement in decision-making and playmaking last season proved to me that he can be one of the better signal callers in the country. More importantly, his second-half performance in the College Football Playoff against Texas should give him the confidence I think is paramount at that position. He will have the best supporting cast the Tigers have had since their national championship years, led by senior Antonio Wiliams.

Louisville running back Isaac Brown and wide receiver Chris Bell should bolster another explosive offense under quarterback guru Jeff Brohm, and I selected 6-foot-6 Southern California wide receiver transfer Duce Robinson as a potential breakout star for Florida State. 

Miami and Clemson dominate the trenches as two of the best in the league. If Hurricane defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. can wreak havoc on the front, a more healthy secondary could leapfrog head coach Mario Cristobal’s group into the ACC championship game or further. 

If I had the opportunity to select five offensive linemen regardless of position, Duke tackle Brian Parker II would likely find his way on my list as well. 

I selected three Blue Devils on the defensive end, with Tre Freeman the one not on the composite All-ACC team. In his second year under head coach Manny Diaz’s system, I think the graduate linebacker can near his 100-plus tackle mark from the 2023 campaign. SMU tackle machine and safety Isaiah Nwokobia is a player to watch on that end for me as well. 

Dudley:

Offense

QB: Cade Klubnik, Clemson

RB: Isaac Brown, Louisville

RB: Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech

WR: Antonio Williams, Clemson

WR: Chris Bell, Louisville

WR: Malik Rutherford, Georgia Tech

TE: Justin Joly, N.C. State

AP: Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh

OT: Brian Parker II, Duke

OT: Francis Mauigoa, Miami

OG: Walker Parks, Clemson

OG: Logan Taylor, Boston College

C: Pete Nygra, Louisville

Defense and specialists

DL: TJ Parker, Clemson

DL: Rueben Bain, Jr., Miami (FL) 

DT: Peter Woods, Clemson 

DT: Kelvin Gilliam, Virginia Tech

LB: Wade Woodaz, Clemson 

LB: Kyle Efford, Georgia Tech

LB: Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh 

CB: Chandler Rivers, Duke

CB: Avieon Terrell, Clemson

S: Terry Moore, Duke

S: Khalil Barnes, Clemson

PK: Collin Rogers, SMU

P: Jack Stonehouse, Syracuse

SP: Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh

While the quarterback product in the ACC should be excellent across the board — Jennings, Beck, King and Darian Mensah are all stellar in my opinion — Klubnik seems like the clear favorite to secure the first-team quarterback position in addition to the league’s Player of the Year honors. In his final go-round with the Tigers, the gunslinger should have his best season to date. 

I differ from Ranjan on a few skill position players on my ballot, and I’m a strong believer in tight end Justin Joly. N.C. State lost top receiver KC Concepcion to Texas A&M in the offseason, but Joly was a strong contributor last season and only figures to have an increased role in Bailey’s second season at the helm. I see a similar situation playing around for Georgia Tech’s Rutherford, as former Yellow Jacket Eric Singleton Jr.’s departure leaves a major void I expect the wideout to fill. 

On the opposite side of the football, some under-appreciated names I showed love to on my ballot were Virginia Tech defensive tackle Kelvin Gilliam and Georgia Tech linebacker Kyle Efford. Gilliam will be the standout on a Hokie front that lost a majority of its starters on the line, while Efford garnered All-ACC honors last season despite missing time with an injury. 

In terms of Duke players, three made their way onto my ballot. Chandler Rivers was a surefire selection, as the cornerback has surely played his way into the conversation surrounding the best corners nationally, not just in the conference. His defensive backfield partner in Terry Moore also made my list, despite being expected to miss time due to an injury in the Gator Bowl. On the offensive ballot, Brian Parker II figures to have another excellent season at right tackle, solidifying himself as Mensah’s top protector and one of the best offensive linemen in the country.

Ranjan Jindal
| Audience Engagement Director

Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity senior and audience engagement director of The Chronicle’s 121st volume. He was previously sports editor for Volume 120.

Caleb Dudley

Caleb Dudley is a Trinity junior and sports multimedia editor of The Chronicle’s 121st volume.