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ACC Football: Way-Too-Early 2026 QB Rankings
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- ACC Football: Way-Too-Early 2026 QB Rankings
The ACC enters spring practice for the 2026 college football season featuring several unknowns at the quarterback position. Transfer Darian Mensah at Miami is clearly the league's top returning signal-caller, with SMU's Kevin Jennings and NC State 's CJ Bailey in the next tier with California's Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. However, question marks remain about newcomers at Clemson (Christopher Vizzina), Florida State (Ashton Daniels), and Louisville (Lincoln Kienholz) among others in the conference.
Spring practice should provide a valuable window into the development of several signal-callers in the ACC, especially at North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Virginia, and Duke .
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With spring practice quickly approaching, Athlon Sports will examine the quarterback situations and provide an early ranking for the signal-callers in each of the Power 4 conferences. Here's a pre-spring look at the ACC for '26:
ACC Football: Way-Too-Early 2026 QB Rankings
California quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) looks for a pass while under pressure from North Carolina linebacker Khmori House (7) at California Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17, 2025, in Berkeley, California.Brett Davis-Imagn Images
17. Davis Warren, StanfordThe departure of Ben Gulbranson and Elijah Brown left an empty quarterback room for new coach Tavita Pritchard. Warren - a transfer from Michigan - is the frontrunner entering spring practice. True freshman Michael Mitchell Jr. and former UCF signal-caller Dylan Rizk are also in the mix. Warren did not play at Michigan last year after suffering an ACL injury at the end of '24.
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16. Mason McKenzie, Boston CollegeMcKenzie is making a significant jump in competition from Saginaw Valley State to Boston College in '26. While it may take some time to adjust to the ACC, McKenzie is an intriguing portal addition. In 25 games of snaps with the Cardinals, he threw for 4,301 yards and 31 touchdowns and added 1,673 yards and 18 scores on the ground. McKenzie's skill set and overall development is a key storyline to watch this spring.
15.Walker Eget, DukeDarian Mensah's last-minute decision to hit the transfer portal for Miami left a huge void under center for the Blue Devils in '26. Coach Manny Diaz added Eget (San Jose State) and Ari Patu (North Alabama) from the portal to compete with redshirt freshman Dan Mahan. Eget threw for 5,563 yards and 30 touchdowns to 19 picks in 27 games with the Spartans.
14. Billy Edwards, North CarolinaCan the combination of Edwards and new play-caller Bobby Petrino spark a North Carolina offense that managed only 19.3 points a game last season? Edwards' '25 season at Wisconsin was cut short due to injury, but he threw for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns over 11 games at Maryland in '24.
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13. Alberto Mendoza, Georgia Tech
Haynes King
leaves big shoes to fill for the Yellow Jackets in '26. Mendoza - the brother of former Indiana star Fernando Mendoza
- transferred from Bloomington to Georgia Tech this offseason. The Yellow Jackets are likely to build a run-first approach around Mendoza, who flashed intriguing ability (13 carries for 190 yards and a touchdown and 286 yards and five scores) in nine appearances with the Hoosiers in '25.
12. Ashton Daniels, Florida State
Florida State's offense enters '26 in transition. Coach Mike Norvell will handle the play-calling duties after Gus Malzahn's retirement, the offensive line must replace all five starters, and Daniels replaces Thomas Castellanos under center. This stint in Tallahassee marks Daniels' third stop in his collegiate career after playing in 37 career games at Stanford and Auburn
. During those snaps, Daniels threw for 4,783 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 1,397 yards and 11 scores.
North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez (7) runs with the football.© Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
11. Gio Lopez, Wake ForestLopez was a key pickup in the portal last offseason for North Carolina, but he's on the move again after just one year in Chapel Hill. The Virginia native makes the intraconference transfer to Wake Forest after throwing for 1,747 yards and 10 touchdowns with the Tar Heels. Wake Forest's offensive staff should do a better job of building an attack designed to fit Lopez's strengths, which were on display during a prolific '24 campaign (3,022 yards and 25 total touchdowns) at South Alabama.
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10. Christopher Vizzina, ClemsonVizzina - a former four-star recruit - takes the reins of Clemson's offense after 14 appearances over the last three seasons. Included in that stretch was a start against SMU in '25, as the Alabama native threw for 317 yards and three scores in a 35-24 defeat. During his career with the Tigers, Vizzina has passed for 596 yards and four touchdowns and added 109 yards and a score on the ground. Can the return of former play-caller Chad Morris help to spark Clemson's offense and help Vizzina's career take off?
9. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech
Grunkemeyer followed coach James Franklin from Penn State
to Virginia Tech and aims to build off a promising '25 stint. The Ohio native expected to spend last season as the Nittany Lions' No. 2 quarterback, but an injury to starter Drew Allar
pressed him into the starting role. Grunkemeyer improved with each snap, finishing '25 with 1,339 yards and eight passing scores. Expect another step forward in '26.
8. Lincoln Kienholz, LouisvilleInconsistent quarterback play plagued Louisville's offense last season, but coach Jeff Brohm hopes a fix is coming for '26 with the arrival of Kienholz. The South Dakota native played in 10 games with the Buckeyes over the last three seasons and flashed potential in '25 by completing 11 of 14 throws for 139 yards and adding 66 yards and two scores on the ground. There's a ton of unknown here. However, this situation has a ton of upside with Brohm's ability to get the most out of talented quarterbacks.
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Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula warms up prior to the second half against the Kansas JayhawksJay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
7. Beau Pribula, VirginiaPribula and fellow transfer Eli Holstein are set to battle this spring to replace Chandler Morris in Charlottesville. This stint with the Cavaliers marks Pribula's third FBS stop, as he spent 2022-24 at Penn State and last season at Missouri. A leg injury sidelined Pribula for two contests during the regular season, but he still threw for 1,941 yards and 11 touchdowns and added 297 yards and six scores on the ground. The senior should be a good fit for coach Tony Elliott's offense.
6. Mason Heintschel, PittHeintschel provided Pitt's offense with a much-needed spark after a 2-2 start and quickly emerged as one of the top freshmen quarterbacks in the nation. The Ohio native threw for 2,354 yards and 16 touchdowns and added another 88 yards and two scores on the ground. Heintschel finished fifth in ACC contests in quarterback rating (149.4) and threw for 300 or more yards in four outings last fall.
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5. Steve Angeli, Syracuse
An Achilles injury ended a promising '25 season for Angeli after just four games. The Notre Dame
transfer threw for 1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns to just two picks in his Syracuse debut, which included leading the Orange to an upset win at Clemson. Although Angeli is on track to return for '26, coach Fran Brown bolstered the depth at this position by adding Amari Odom (Kennesaw State) and Malachi Nelson
(UTEP) from the transfer portal.
4. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, CaliforniaKeeping Sagapolutele in Berkeley was a huge win for new coach Tosh Lupoi. The Hawaii native was one of the top freshmen in college football last season, throwing for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns over 13 games. If the transition to new play-caller Jordan Somerville is seamless, Sagapolutele will easily push for All-ACC honors in '26.
Dec 19, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; NC State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (11) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against the Memphis Tigers in the first quarter during the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Image Images© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
3. CJ Bailey, NC StateAfter a standout freshman season in '24, Bailey was even better last year. In 13 starts for the Wolfpack, Bailey threw for 3,105 yards and 25 touchdowns and added another six scores on the ground. The Florida native also ranked fourth among ACC signal-callers with 10 completions of 40-plus yards and third among conference quarterbacks in completion rate (68.8). Bailey's return will help NC State contend for a finish in the top 25 this year.
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2. Kevin Jennings, SMUJennings' return to Dallas is a big reason why SMU should push for another trip to the ACC Championship Game in '26. The Texas native threw for 3,641 yards and 26 scores last season and added four scores on the ground. Jennings ranked second among ACC signal-callers in completions of 20-plus yards (56) and finished 20th nationally in total offense per game (284.2).
1. Darian Mensah, MiamiMensah earned second-team All-ACC honors and led Duke to the ACC Championship by throwing for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns over 14 appearances. The California native's late decision to transfer to Miami solved the biggest concern in Coral Gables and will keep the 'Canes in the hunt to win a national title in '26.
Related: 10 Biggest Winners in College Football's Transfer Portal for the 2026 Season
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
