With 17 colleges and a membership that now covers three completely different time zones, the ACC enters its media days with points that run far deeper than a depth chart and carry extra weight than an offensive line that “received larger this summer season.” When commissioner Jim Phillips addresses the media on Day 1 of the ACC Soccer Kickoff on Monday in Charlotte, he’ll be anticipated to handle the way forward for a convention that is at present engaged in lawsuits with its two premier soccer powers. 

Florida State and Clemson’s authorized challenges of the ACC’s Grant of Rights are a menace to the steadiness of a league that these two applications have mixed to win 12 occasions within the final 13 seasons. The ACC Soccer Kickoff will characteristic the simultaneous messages of how the league stacks up nationally to the remainder of the facility conferences, but in addition why the way forward for the convention is brilliant even because it faces existential threats from the identical colleges anchoring its place within the nationwide dialog. Phillips might be requested how he plans to stabilize the convention’s place with precedence members seeking to depart, and whereas nobody is anticipating a game-changing announcement or revelation on the commissioner’s discussion board, will probably be one in every of his finest possibilities to offer perception into the long-term considering of the league workplace.   

Whereas the strategies and price of an exit are unknown, it appears clear that Florida State doesn’t want to be part of the ACC underneath its present media rights contract, which runs till 2036. With authorized maneuvers which have gone so far as to incorporate the involvement of the state’s lawyer common, the college itself appears to be utilizing each software possible to ascertain a brand new dwelling elsewhere. There might not even be a spot to go in the mean time, however that is likely to be a bridge that Florida State will not fear about crossing till it has its second of “freedom.” 

With Clemson following alongside, a pair months behind in their very own authorized battle with the ACC and definitely much less publicly enthusiastic about their pursuit of an exit, the convention should contemplate a future with out the 2 groups that start the 2024 season because the favorites to win the league.

However that is one factor that might be refreshing in regards to the ACC Soccer Kickoff. Florida State and Clemson will proceed to dominate the dialog, however the occasion itself will flip the eye away from the courtroom rooms and redirect it to the sector. Nobody expects Mike Norvell and Dabo Swinney to supply perception on look-in clauses or a Grant of Rights doc. We do, nevertheless, need to hear how former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has settled in together with his new Seminole teammates, whether or not present Tigers signal-caller Cade Klubnik is about for a step ahead win Yr 2 with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, and to proceed the dialogue evaluating the vastly completely different approaches to the switch portal utilized by Norvell and Swinney.

Florida State and Clemson battling for league supremacy is ACC soccer at its finest. And now that we have launched not solely an automated bid however a first-round bye to the highest 4 convention champions within the School Soccer Playoff, there are nationwide championship stakes to the convention title race. Go away the convention realignment chaos within the courtroom room, as a result of in contrast to authorized battles, we’ll have clear-cut winners and losers once we resolve it on the sector. Florida State, Clemson and a handful of hopeful contenders are gearing up for fall camp and a 2024 ACC season that might be in contrast to any within the league’s historical past.

Power underneath heart 

The official press launch asserting the gamers that might be in attendance at this yr’s media days declared the league because the “Convention of Quarterbacks.” It is a daring declare value discussing and debating, however nobody can argue with the ACC’s power in numbers with regards to signal-callers stepping to the rostrum throughout speaking season. A whopping whole of 19 quarterbacks are set to be in attendance on the ACC Soccer Kickoff, with each crew however Florida State and Wake Forest bringing a minimum of one. Cal, Duke and North Carolina are all bringing two quarterbacks, so any questions on these upcoming quarterback competitors might be answered straight. 

However flooding the occasion with quarterbacks is not only sharp advertising, it is also the place to begin for the season outlook for lots of the most intriguing groups and tales within the ACC, beginning with the returning starters. Clemson’s ceiling is prone to be decided by the development of Klubnik; Virginia Tech’s skill to contend as a top-tier ACC crew rests with Kyron Drones; and there is loads of curiosity within the subsequent steps of improvement for electrical playmaker Thomas Castellanos now that Invoice O’Brien is the coach at Boston School. 

Then, there’s the switch quarterbacks whose additions have their new groups longing for what’s forward within the fall. Uiagalelei will not be there himself, selecting to permit his Florida State teammates benefit from the highlight within the wake of final yr’s ACC Championship win, however he’ll actually be on the heart of the dialog for the Seminoles as the previous Clemson quarterback makes his return to the convention. Miami, then again, is bringing its star switch quarterback to the occasion, and Cam Ward’s skill to show the Hurricanes right into a dynamic and dominant offensive crew is the important thing to a breakthrough season for Mario Cristobal in Yr 3 at his alma mater. The group of switch quarterbacks in attendance additionally contains recognizable names for any faculty soccer fan, like Grayson McCall (NC State), Kyle McCord (Syracuse) and Tyler Shough (Louisville). 

What’s in retailer for media day champion Miami? 

Talking of that potential breakthrough season for Cristobal, Miami will arrive in Charlotte within the acquainted place of carrying offseason hype that can gas a few of the preseason prognostication. That is nothing new for the Hurricanes, who’ve lengthy been the apple of the media’s eye in July. From 2013-22, the ACC media picked Miami to win the Coastal division 5 occasions, but the ‘Canes pulled it off simply as soon as (2017). Cristobal has been recruiting at a excessive stage out of highschool and can see a few of these early efforts repay right here in Yr 3, however the urge for enchancment has additionally powered a hefty switch portal haul that ranks No. 10 nationally amongst switch lessons, per 247Sports. Quarterback Cam Ward is clearly an enormous piece of predicting success for Miami in 2024, however this can be a crew that added confirmed contributors at defensive position, edge rusher, linebacker, security and working again to a roster that already strong because of their recruiting efforts. 

However Miami’s has expertise earlier than, and it is clearly acquired the adoration and expectations from the media in July earlier than. So what’s holding the Hurricanes again from connecting the dots and having their true breakthrough second? Since becoming a member of the ACC in 2004, Miami has precisely one 10-win season (2017) and completed ranked within the remaining AP High 25 ballot simply six occasions with zero top-10 finishes. And for all his recruiting success and championship reminiscences he can evoke, Cristobal is 12-13 as Miami’s coach. The narrative round Miami may not be whether or not 2024 is the yr that outcomes meet expectations, however reasonably the yr that outcomes want to satisfy expectations. 

Frequent flyer miles for the newcomers 

After rotating all through the Southeast for a lot of years, the ACC Soccer Kickoff has been held persistently state of North Carolina since 2009 and in Charlotte, now the placement of the league workplace, since 2016. It is a morning or afternoon drive for a handful of the ACC’s colleges, however about 1,000 miles from SMU and a pair of,700 miles from Cal and Stanford. Every of the three new ACC colleges arrive of their new convention at vastly completely different factors of their soccer program trajectory, however all are going to have an adjustment interval as they get used to life in a brand new league that’s now not constricted to the Atlantic Coast. 

SMU will convey essentially the most intrigue because it arrives recent off an 11-win marketing campaign that included profitable the American Athletic Convention championship on its means out of the league. Quarterback Preston Stone thrived in his second yr with coach Rhett Lashlee, who has a chance to make a reputation for himself as one of many rising stars in teaching if he can efficiently information the Mustangs via this transition to the power-conference stage. Cal boasts one of many prime working backs in your complete nation with Jaydn Ott and an skilled crew that is likely to be neglected as Justin Wilcox prepares for his eighth season because the Bears’ coach, whereas rival Stanford is simply in Yr 2 of a rebuild underneath Troy Taylor following a 3-9 debut in 2023.