Andrea AdelsonCloseAndrea AdelsonESPN Senior Writer ACC reporter. Joined ESPN.com in 2010. Graduate of the University of Florida.Follow on X and David HaleCloseDavid HaleESPN Staff WriterCollege football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.Graduate of the University of Delaware.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsMar 4, 2026, 07:00 AM ET
Then there is the debut of James Franklin at Virginia Tech, and a roster filled with his former players and recruits at Penn State. And what does Bill Belichick have in store for Year 2, now that Bobby Petrino is calling the plays? There are plenty of storylines to follow as spring begins across the league.
Player to watch: RB Evan Dickens. There is no question BC has to get its run game fixed, and signing six offensive linemen and two running backs from the portal is a good start. Dickens was highly productive a year ago at Liberty, rushing for 1,339 yards to rank No. 5 in the country, and scoring 16 rushing touchdowns — No. 4 nationally. Consider: Dickens had more rushing yards himself than BC had as a team in 2025, and scored as many touchdowns as the Eagles did on the ground.
Player to watch: Justice Haynes. The former Michigan running back was the crown jewel of Key’s portal class this year, and he’ll team with Malachi Hosley to form arguably the best tandem of runners in the ACC. Haynes ran for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns last year at Michigan, and his role figures to expand in Tech’s offense this year. His explosiveness will be the foundation of what the Yellow Jackets want to do offensively.
Player to watch: Defensive end Clev Lubin. Louisville’s defense took a big step forward in 2025, and with new coordinators Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis helming the D in 2026, the hopes are high for even more improvement this year. That likely starts with Lubin, who flashed greatness at times last season, racking up 8.5 sacks, 13.5 TFL, seven QB hurries and forcing three fumbles. Lubin should enter 2026 as one of the top defenders in the ACC, and his ceiling could be All-America level.
The ACC heads into spring practice coming off its best season in recent memory. Miami made it to the national title game after making the College Football Playoff as the last team in. Eleven total teams made bowl games, and the league won seven Power 4 postseason games, more than any other conference. That includes a 4-0 postseason mark against the SEC. In fact, the ACC finished 8-6 against the SEC in 2025 and finished with nine teams that had eight or more wins — more than any other Power 4 conference.
There is a good chance that momentum continues into spring and the 2026 season. Miami has reloaded, with Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah leading the way as the Hurricanes appear ready to make another CFP run. SMU returns veteran Kevin Jennings and a loaded roster. Louisville also could make some noise with Isaac Brown returning and Lincoln Kienholz taking over at quarterback after transferring in from Ohio State. How does Clemson rebound with Christopher Vizzina at quarterback and Chad Morris taking over as playcaller?
Spring storyline: Nothing went right for BC last season. The Eagles had their worst finish since 2012, so Bill O’Brien spent the offseason revamping both his staff and his roster. The Eagles increased their financial investment in football through rev share and NIL, but that is only one piece of the puzzle. BC simply could not run the ball, nor could it stop the run last year, and had major inconsistency at quarterback, so starting with those three key areas will be big. O’Brien hired Doug Marrone as his offensive line coach to get that unit headed in the right direction, with six offensive linemen signed through the transfer portal — including four who have started 10 or more games in their careers. O’Brien also hired veteran Ted Roof as defensive coordinator after that unit finished ranked as the worst Power 4 defense in 2025, allowing 433 yards per game.
Position of intrigue: Quarterback has been a position of intrigue since O’Brien arrived at BC, given his background coaching quarterbacks. Dylan Lonergan was the hand-picked choice last season, after being recruited by O’Brien at Alabama, but he struggled early and eventually was benched. This spring, there is sure to be another quarterback competition after BC went into the portal and signed two quarterbacks — Mason McKenzie from Division II Saginaw Valley State and Grayson Wilson from Arkansas. McKenzie was the player of the year in 2025 in the same conference that Trinidad Chambliss played in before going to Ole Miss.
Position of intrigue: Linebacker. We could have picked any position on defense because this unit lost eight starters and several key reserves to either the transfer portal or graduation. But we will go with linebacker because arguably the two best players on the defense are gone — leading tackler and team leader Cade Uluave left for BYU and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year left for Ole Miss after briefly transferring to Clemson. Those two players combined for 191 tackles — 17 of them for loss. TJ Bush Jr, an outside rush linebacker, also transferred after leading the team with 5.5 sacks. Cal was active in the portal in bringing in several linebackers and hybrid rush ends — most notably adding Tristan Jernigan from Texas A&M and AJ Tuitele from USC.
Player to watch: RB Adam Mohammed. Cal had no sustained run game to help ease the pressure from JKS a year ago — and a lot of that falls on the offensive line, which Cal worked to revamp through the transfer portal. Kendrick Raphael did what he could as the featured back a year ago, but bringing in Mohammed at running back signals Cal knows it needs much more from its run game. Mohammed averaged nearly 1 yard more per carry than Raphael did a year ago, and his playmaking ability as a receiver out of the backfield cannot be ignored.
Spring storyline: What’s old is new again on offense for the Tigers. Dabo Swinney landed the hottest name in the coordinator ranks in 2022 in former TCU assistant Garrett Riley — a rare departure from Clemson’s insular hiring history — and it went horribly. The Tigers’ offense stagnated, Cade Klubnik failed to develop, and it all culminated with a 2025 season that was Swinney’s worst in 15 years. So after parting ways with Riley, Swinney opted to go back to what has worked in the past, bringing in former OC Chad Morris to lead the turnaround. Morris hasn’t called plays since 2020, and hasn’t coached at Clemson since 2014, but Swinney thinks a little of the old magic can be rekindled for an offense that has wavered between mediocre and bad since Trevor Lawrence departed following the 2020 season.
Position of intrigue: Defensive line. There are myriad questions on this year’s Clemson roster, most of which are on offense, but if there’s one major area awaiting answers, it’s the defensive front. In truth, it’s not been a unit that’s matched its expectations for a few years, but even amid last season’s struggles, the D-line was loaded with high-level players like Peter Woods and T.J. Parker. In 2026, however, it’s something akin to a fresh start on the D-line with perhaps the least amount of established stars ready for spring ball since 2012. The D-line has been Clemson’s calling card during the Tigers’ best years — from Vic Beasley to Christian Wilkins to Woods and Parker. This year, transfer Will Heldt returns, but the rest of the depth chart has plenty of unknowns. Edge rusher Jaheim Lawson showed promise in 2025, and Vic Burley has some experience up the middle. Aside from that, the Tigers figure to rely on serious development from freshmen and redshirts like Champ Thompson, Amare Adams, Ari Watford and Darien Mayo, along with transfers London Merritt, Markus Strong, CJ Wesley and Kourtney Kelly. There’s hope, however, that this group will produce some serious contributors and, after years of disappointment from five-star talent, be a pleasant surprise.
Position of intrigue: Defensive end. OK, the real answer is QB, but let’s set that aside for a moment and focus on another of Duke’s 2025 strengths that took a big hit this offseason. VJ Anthony and Wesley Williams combined for 22 sacks over the past two seasons, both asserting themselves among the most productive pass rushers in the ACC. Both are off to the pros now, which puts the focus on second-year players like Tyshon Reed and Kobe Smith, a lightly experienced Kevin O’Conner, and Penn State transfer Owen Wafle. Duke surrendered far too many explosives last year, and if the back end of the defense is going to improve in 2026, it’ll need plenty of help from the front four. At this point, the pass rush might be as big a question mark as QB for the Blue Devils.
Player to watch: Duke’s blueprint for success in 2026 begins with tailback Nate Sheppard, who blossomed into one of the most prolific runners in the country. Sheppard finished 2025 with 1,132 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, topping 90 yards on the ground in four of his last six. A year ago he paired with Anderson Castle for a nice one-two punch, and he found ample room to run as defenses accounted for Mensah’s downfield passing. The job is going to be tougher this year, and Duke is counting on Sheppard to take the next step in order to give the offense some life while the QB position gets settled.
Spring storyline: Once again, Florida State enters spring practice with more questions than answers after another losing season. The biggest storyline once again revolves around the offense, where the Seminoles will once again try to find an answer at quarterback, all while Tim Harris Jr. takes over as offensive coordinator and coach Mike Norvell returns as the primary play caller following Gus Malzahn’s departure. Florida State signed Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels to compete with Kevin Sperry to win the starting job, and again the Seminoles went heavy in the transfer portal once again to fix their offensive line. The good news is several key playmakers return — including Duce Robinson, Micahi Danzy, Ousmane Kromah and Sam Singleton. If Florida State can get an effective quarterback for the first time in three years, it will be in a much better spot.