Top 5 ACC Title Hopefuls: Each Team’s Key Spring Football Battle

North Carolina State Wolfpack

ACC Championship Odds: +1400

National Championship Odds: +25000

Cornerbacks: Tamarcus Cooley, Brandon Cisse

It wasn't a mass exodus of players into the NFL Draft, but the North Carolina State Wolfpack lost some quality starters. Payton Wilson's departure will be felt among the linebackers, but there's an equally concerning gap in the secondary. Shyheim Battle is pursuing his professional career, moving Aydan White into the primary shutdown role. Still, there's an open competition on the opposite side of the field for starting cornerback. 

Two players can showcase their skills for the starting role. Tamarcus Cooley comes to NC State from the Maryland Terrapins, where he accumulated just four total tackles in two games. Coincidentally, Cooley was initially committed to playing for the Wolfpack before switching his allegiance before the start of the season. 

Now, he gets to compete against one of the players he was recruited with, Brandon Cisse, for a starting role on defense. Like his new teammate, Cisse had an uneventful freshman campaign, totaling ten tackles in limited action. 

Cooley and Cisse will be thrust into the spotlight in spring camp, and one of those corners will move to the front of the pack before all is said and done.

Florida State Seminoles

ACC Championship Odds: +280

National Championship Odds: +2800

Linebackers: DJ Lundy, Omar Graham Jr., Shawn Murphy

The sting of the playoff shun still hasn't worn off for most Florida State Seminoles fans, but thankfully, they can direct some of their attention to spring camps. FSU has plenty of holes to fill in its roster for the upcoming campaign, with one of the more pressing concerns being the linebackers corps.

Gone are Tatum Bethune and Kalen DeLoach, who are likely heading toward productive NFL careers. But that leaves a gaping hole in the second layer of the Seminoles' defense. 

DJ Lundy and Omar Graham Jr. are returning for their senior and sophomore seasons. Still, the team also added former Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Shawn Murphy via the transfer portal. 

Replacing Bethune and DeLoach's reliability and production is no easy feat. Keep your eyes on the linebackers to see which player cements himself as the imposing force.

Louisville Cardinals

ACC Championship Odds: +450

National Championship Odds: +10000

Running Backs: Maurice Turner, Penny Boone, Donald Chaney

Last year, the Louisville Cardinals rushed for 2,499 yards. Sadly, Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo accounted for 1,938 of those. That leaves just 561 yards accounted for among the 14 other players who ran the ball.

Jeff Brohm was active in the transfer portal, landing Peny Boone from the Toledo Rockets and Donald Chaney from the Miami (FL) Hurricanes. That's in addition to Maurice Turner, the third-string back for the Cardinals in 2023. 

This is one of the more wide-open competitions of spring. All three running backs enter the season with a legitimate chance of becoming the primary back; however, whichever player claims that distinction will need to earn that role. 

Miami (FL) Hurricanes

ACC Championship Odds: +470

National Championship Odds: +6000

Quarterbacks: Cameron Ward, Reese Poffenbarger

Arguably, no team disappointed more in 2023 than the Miami (FL) Hurricanes. Miami started the season with four straight wins, claiming a signature victory over the 23rd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies in Week 3. However, that was the pinnacle of their success, with the Hurricanes losing six of their next nine. 

Tyler Van Dyke pulled the chute and transferred to Wisconsin, creating a battle for the starting quarterback position. Former Washington State Cougar Cameron Ward and FCS transfer from UAlbany Reese Poffenbarger will now compete for the starting role under center. 

Poffenbarger is no slouch, leading the FCS ranks in passing yards and touchdowns in 2023. But Ward was on his way to the NFL Draft before reneging and transferring to Miami. 

This competition will be heated, with two top-end quarterbacks competing for one of the most coveted jobs in the FBS. 

North Carolina State Wolfpack

ACC Championship Odds: +1400

National Championship Odds: +25000

Cornerbacks: Tamarcus Cooley, Brandon Cisse

It wasn't a mass exodus of players into the NFL Draft, but the North Carolina State Wolfpack lost some quality starters. Payton Wilson's departure will be felt among the linebackers, but there's an equally concerning gap in the secondary. Shyheim Battle is pursuing his professional career, moving Aydan White into the primary shutdown role. Still, there's an open competition on the opposite side of the field for starting cornerback. 

Two players can showcase their skills for the starting role. Tamarcus Cooley comes to NC State from the Maryland Terrapins, where he accumulated just four total tackles in two games. Coincidentally, Cooley was initially committed to playing for the Wolfpack before switching his allegiance before the start of the season. 

Now, he gets to compete against one of the players he was recruited with, Brandon Cisse, for a starting role on defense. Like his new teammate, Cisse had an uneventful freshman campaign, totaling ten tackles in limited action. 

Cooley and Cisse will be thrust into the spotlight in spring camp, and one of those corners will move to the front of the pack before all is said and done.