Stars of The ACC: Rising Stars of The Rising Conference
Written by: Brandon Pham
Published: Sat Aug 15, 2026, 9:30 am ET
Read Time: 8 minutes
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The ACC to me has always been the bridesmaid but never the bride. Having few years of major relevance and then years of obscurity. Recently though with rise of Miami and the ever lying presence of Clemson the ACC has been on an upward trend.
But who will be those players that take this conference back to prominensce and take that little brother stigma away from the ACC and prove to the SEC and Big Ten that they are here to play. So once again we are back to talk about who will put the "H-I-M" in Championship for the ACC.
What is the ACC?
The ACC has no real defining play styles compared to the previous two conferences that we have talked about. A mixture of pro style to west coast offenses the ACC is usually an up tempo kind of conference providing us with plenty of scoring on most Saturday afternoons.
A conference that does not lack history the ACC has some of the most storied schools in all of college football. With teams like Miami, Florida State, and Clemson there has always been a plethora of talent. But they have not always been able to keep a foothold in college football compared to schools like Ohio State, Georgia, or Texas.
We saw dominance in the 90's with Miami with a lull for the school for the past twenty years or so. Mid 2010's glory from Clemson with a recent downward trend for the school.
But now we are seeing a resurgences from Miami and newcomers SMU have been a powerful force in the college football world for a few years now. The ACC as a whole looks primed to make a push for the top but who will be the players like a Jameis Winston or Trevor Lawrence to take them there?
The X-Factors
1. Malachi Toney, WR (Miami)
Malachi Toney, WR Miami
Breaking on to the scence last year for the Hurricanes. Toney was a huge contributor for the Hurricanes on their run to a National Championship apprearance.
To repeat and surpass the success of last season for Miami Toney must elevate his game to the next level. But how does he top an already stellar freshman season?
Lacking prototypical size Toney must play bigger than he is so he can be the true X wide reciever for Miami. He should focus on his serparation ability to open himself up for depp balls, taking pages from wide receievers like Jaxson Smith-Njigba or Jamarr Chase.
If Toney can improve that part of the game and unlock a new level for the Miami offense it will take an already scary team to whole new level.
2. Kevin Jennings, QB (SMU)
Kevin Jennings, QB SMU
SMU is coming off a great year going 9-4, they are returning a lot of players on this years team and are poised to take a crack at the ACC title. Led by QB Kevin Jennings the SMU offense was a potent one last season averaging 32.2 points a game.
But that offense if you can believe it, probably could have been better. Jennings struggled a lot last year with turnovers and relying on his feet too much trying to make the heroic plays instead of the right ones. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. Your job as a QB is to mitigate those bad plays.
If Jennings as a player can improve on trusting his teammates and knowing when to use his stellar athelctism the SMU offense can take a step toward the next tier. All of that comes with maturity and experience though.
After a learning and succesful first year at the helm of the Mustangs offense I think Jennings is poised to lead this team into a battle for the ACC title and potentially a playoff appearence.
3. Isaac Brown, RB (Louisville)
Isaac Brown, RB Louisville
The work horse of the Cardinal offense Brown had a phenomanal freshman year followed by a good, but ultimately worse sophmore year. He is looking to bounce back in his junior season and hopefully lead the Louisville faithful into a succesful season.
Brown posses elite level speed and vision, he also provides an elite threat out of the backfield for the Cardinal offense. He also has some concerns in regards to durability and the ability to be a three down back for the team.
The best ability in football is availability. If Brown can simply be there for his team he can offer a major boost for them in every single game. If he can also show the willingness to be pass protector on obvious passing downs his sheer presence on the football field will make defenses account for him and open up more options for the Cardinals offense. Plus NFL scouts love a RB that is willing to block.
4. Sammy Brown, LB (Clemson)
Sammy Brown, LB Clemson
An exceptional LB for the Tiger defense Brown comes back this year as one of the best defensive player in the country. Clemson last year had a tumultuous season where they struggled a lot offesnsively.
With a steady defense it will allow the Tiger offense to play with a bit less pressure and Brown will be the center of that for Clemson.
A athletic linebacker with sure tackling form Brown was all over the field defensively for Clemson. But at times he would over commit and leave major gaps in the defense. He at times also struggled with coverage.
Going into his third year I think the collective experience he has gained should be able to help him read offenses better and not over commit to plays. That and his already natural athlectism will help his ability to be a solid coverage linebacker as well.
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Clemson to Win the ACC +1600 on Luck Rebel
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Clemson to Win the National Championship +10000 on Lucky Rebel
5. Alberto Mendoza, QB (Georgia Tech)
Fernando Mendoza (15), Alberto Mendoza (16)
Brother of Heisman winner and first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Alberto has some large expectations to live up to as well he has to fill the shoes of Haynes King.
This will be his first year as a starter but in his limited playing time at Indiana he showed some great qualities.
He showed a fearlessness to throw a deep ball, some good timing on his throws, and like his brother athlectism to be able to extend plays and drives.
We do not have to go on to talk about what he can improve on but if Mendoza is just able to manage games, and make those game winning plays when he has to Georgia Tech will be a force to be reckoned with this upcoming college football season.
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Georgia Tech to Win the ACC +3500 on Lucky Rebel
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