We round out the coverage of our conference preview articles with the ACC and arguably the most prolific passing attack in the country at Clemson. While that room is sufficiently highlighted in the all-conference teams, the running backs are arguably the true strength of the conference, featuring four top-20 running backs nationwide. There are plenty of diamonds in the rough and position battles worth keeping your peepers on as the season approaches as well, and that's addressed in this article as well.
Note: The positional rankings are based on four-point passing touchdowns and half-point per reception format and may vary based on the format of your league. Visit our College Football Rankings page to customize the rankings to fit your league's format. The rankings are also subject to change as more information rolls in during fall camp, and up-to-date rankings can be found there.
ACC All-Conference Teams
First Team (positional rank in parentheses)
QB Cade Klubnik, Clemson 
(1)
RB Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh 
(1)
RB Isaac Brown, Louisville 
(4)
WR Antonio Williams, Clemson (6)
WR Caullin Lacy, Louisville (25)
TE Justin Joly, NC State 
(7)
Second Team
QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech 
(10)
RB Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest 
(12)
RB Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech (16)
WR Bryant Wesco, Clemson (28)
WR T.J. Moore, Clemson (29)
TE Elija Lofton, Miami 
(10)
Third Team
QB Kevin Jennings, SMU 
(25)
RB Hollywood Smothers, NC State (33)
RB TJ Harden, SMU (38)
WR Chris Bell, Louisville (32)
WR Darrell Gill, Syracuse 
(39)
TE Olsen Patt-Henry, Clemson (16)
ACC Fantasy Sleepers
QB Tommy Castellanos, Florida State 
Castellanos' passing is questionable, at best, though he did post a career-best start on that front last season before being benched in Week 11 versus Syracuse. While I wouldn't recommend Castellanos in leagues featuring six-point passing touchdowns, he's an attractive option to me in four-point touchdown leagues because of his rushing ability, paired with the introduction of Gus Malzahn as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator. Malzahn has a propensity for hiding flaws in his quarterbacks' arsenals, including quarterbacks with questionable passing abilities. I will harken back to the days of Nick Marshall at Auburn, who turned in a combined 34 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing scores in his two years as a starter with the Tigers before switching to cornerback as a pro. I'm not expecting a Cam Newton-level year from Castellanos, but he's got plenty of weapons to get the ball to quickly in the passing attack and elite rushing upside to boot.
QB CJ Bailey, NC State
Bailey will likely be drafted in a number of fantasy formats, depending on league settings, but there is a situation here where things could improve for Bailey from a fantasy standpoint. New offensive coordinator Kurt Roper likes to run an uptempo offense and get the ball out of his quarterback's hands quickly. Bailey has plenty of playmakers to turn to in that regard, whether it be Noah Rogers out wide or safety blankets of Justin Joly at tight end and Hollywood Smothers in the backfield. Bailey also proved last season he can tote the rock, racking up 279 yards and five rushing scores, and his 6-foot-6, 213-pound frame makes him a potential TD vulture on any drive. The Wolfpack's schedule also slightly improves from 2025, positioning Bailey as an intriguing quarterback later in drafts.
RB Yasin Willis, Syracuse
Willis appears slated to handle the lead back duties for the Orange this fall, taking over for LeQuint Allen, who racked up 228 carries for 1,021 yards and 16 touchdowns over 13 games last year, adding a whopping 64 catches for 521 yards and four scores as a receiver. Willis may not match that level of touches or production, especially in an offense that loses a lot of its passing attack from a season ago and faces a more difficult schedule, but he doesn't need 250 touches to be a fantasy-relevant back. OC Jeff Nixon likes to get his back involved in the passing attack as well, so Willis may sport a bit more value in PPR and half-PPR formats.
RB Adam Randall, Clemson
The Clemson running back room is one worth monitoring this fall, which will be highlighted below, but Randall appears to have stood out from his competition to this point and is seemingly headed for lead-back duties. Exactly what that will entail in an offense that features arguably the best QB-to-WR room combo in the country remains to be seen, but Phil Mafah handled 201 carries for 1,078 yards and eight touchdowns during the regular season last year. Randall is certainly built (6-foot-2, 235 pounds) to handle a hefty workload, and the running back position transition is certainly not unheard of (see Tyrone Tracy and Brashard Smith), plus we know he's got good hands for the position moving over from receiver. Randall should get a nice boost in the rankings soon, thanks to recent reports, so strike before the ADP inflation hits.
WR Trell Harris, Virginia 
I'm digging in the barrel on some of these wide receivers, and Harris is a name I think is worth keeping an eye on later in drafts. He appears slated to take over WR1 duties for the Cavaliers in 2025, and while Anthony Colandrea and Tony Muskett performed decently last year, this room may be getting an upgrade at the position in the form of Chandler Morris, a multi-time transfer quarterback who racked up 3,774 passing yards and a 31:12 TD:INT ratio last season at North Texas. Harris
WR Ayden Greene, Virginia Tech 
This isn't a name on nearly anyone's radar for 2025, and it's understandable why, given that the Hokies' offense accrued just 2,462 passing yards and 15 passing touchdowns a season ago. The lack of offense led to a changing of the guard at the OC position. Dating back to his days at Tulsa, Montgomery likes to run an uptempo offense and to get the ball to his biggest playmakers often. Between 2019 and 2022, a receiver went over 1,000 yards in all but the COVID-shortened season in 2020. Donavon Greene also made the move over to Blacksburg and has the potential to be that guy as well, but he hasn't been able to be the alpha during his four seasons at Wake, and I'm not sure he's going to prove to be that with the Hokies either. (Ayden) Greene is basically a last-round draft pick and could be worth a dart in certain formats.
TE Ty Lockwood, Boston College 
After multiple years of struggling to find the field in Tuscaloosa with the Crimson Tide, Lockwood opted to enter the transfer portal following the 2024 season and landed in a favorable spot for him to be a contributor with the Eagles. Now, Jeremiah Franklin returns after logging 27 grabs for 311 yards and three touchdowns a season ago. So, why would we be interested in Lockwood? My answer is twofold. First, Franklin isn't viewed as the best receiving tight end around, so the fact that he racked up 27 grabs last season is certainly encouraging. On top of that, the passing attack didn't yield much in general when Tommy Castellanos was in charge but saw a significant uptick later in the season when Grayson James took the job. Whether it's James or Dylan Lonergan under center for the Eagles this fall, it's a significant upgrade for the Eagles in terms of the passing game. In the final four games of 2024, Franklin averaged 3.8 grabs for 40.5 yards per game, all without finding paydirt. There should be enough volume for Lockwood to put his receiving chops on display in this offense.
ACC Position Battles of Interest
Clemson Running Backs
As mentioned above, Adam Randall has seemingly earned his spot atop the Tigers' running back depth chart thus far. While he's the player to target as of the moment, it's still worth mentioning a couple of other names who could emerge down the road. David Eziomume has moved his way up the depth chart to claim the likely top backup job to date and could be worth a handcuff in super deep drafts, especially given the expected explosiveness of the offense in 2025. Another name to watch is true freshman Gideon Davidson, who has drawn positive buzz during camp, including from his fellow running backs. While Davidson seems to have some kinks to work out, there's certainly a possibility that his role increases as the season wears on, especially if Randall and Eziomume don't impress in their respective gigs. I'd say Randall is the back to own at the moment, while Davidson is the top to watch and Eziomume is another to monitor should Randall miss time early in the season.
SMU Tight Ends
The tight end position in a Sonny Dykes offense is always intriguing, and that's definitely the case this season with the Mustangs. The big problem is parsing out which tight end will be the most productive between RJ Maryland and Matthew Hibner. In a vacuum, the answer to that question would likely be Maryland, but he's also returning from a major knee injury and hasn't been fully cleared for contact yet, to the best of my knowledge. Therein lies the rub. Knee injuries like Maryland's can also take some time to get back to the usual levels of explosiveness, so there's no guarantee Maryland will be at his top form once he's ready to go. When healthy last year, Maryland racked up 24 catches for 359 yards and four touchdowns. Hibner filled that starting role admirably after Maryland went down, recording 22 grabs for 337 yards and four scores over the final seven contests. That level of production could prove elite this fall, and it could be worth snagging the pair later in drafts to acquire some upside while it gets sorted.
SMU Running Backs
Speaking of the Mustangs, another position that needs filling is in the backfield, where the room loses Brashard Smith and his 235 carries for 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns from a season ago. On top of that, he tallied 39 grabs for 327 yards and four scores. My belief is that the staff didn't feel particularly comfortable with the crew it had at hand, hence the decision to go out and get Harden via the portal. Harden put up 506 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground last season at UCLA, adding 40 catches for 368 yards and a score as a receiver. UCLA struggled last season, finishing 5-7 against a difficult schedule, which limited Harden's opportunities as a runner. This could be the year things change on that front, but there hasn't been a declared starter in this backfield yet. For that reason, there are other names worth monitoring and potentially grabbing drafts. The primary pickup candidate here would be Derrick McFall, who still boasts wide receiver eligibility in some places as another convert to running back. That increases the intrigue because the baseline for a productive fantasy season is lower at the position. True freshman Dramekco Green and Chris Johnson also hold varying degrees of interest.
Miami Wide Receivers
While 2025 NFL Draft first overall pick Cam Ward is no longer at the helm for Miami, the Hurricanes wasted no time adding talent to the position via the transfer portal, bringing in experienced starter Carson Beck from Georgia. Beck may not be first overall material next spring, but he's certainly no slouch at the position, throwing for a combined 7,426 yards and 52 passing touchdowns in his last two seasons. Now we get to the main event, which involves the turnover at wide receiver. This room has much less experience than Beck under center and little established as far as the pecking order goes. There are various candidates who could emerge as the top option, and none require a pretty penny for admission. Joshisa Trader has emerged as a likely starter for the Canes after turning in just six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Other candidates to claim sizable roles include CJ Daniels, Malachi Toney, and Tony Johnson, though Keelan Marion and Ray Ray Joseph could be candidates for snaps as well. This room saw its top three wideouts combine for 178 catches for 2,495 yards and 24 touchdowns a season ago. While this crew is unlikely to replicate that output, there's certainly potential for fantasy-worthy production out of it.
