All seven starting quarterbacks in the ACC’s Atlantic Division return this college football season, making it one of the deepest QB pools the league has seen.
“I think you’re going to see a slugfest,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said. “If you are playing a team whose quarterback is not savvy and doesn’t have experience and yours is, you have a great advantage. We don’t have that in any game as far as playing against a non-starter.”
Doeren’s quarterback, Devin Leary, was recently named the ACC preseason Player of the Year. He was one of three Atlantic Division quarterbacks to receive POY votes. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman (30 votes), who led the Demon Deacons to the division title a year ago, and Louisville’s Malik Cunningham (12) were the other two. The ACC hasn’t seen this kind of quarterback depth across the board since the 2016 season. That group featured four first-round draft picks (UNC’s Mitch Trubisky, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Duke’s Daniel Jones, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson) and two Heisman finalists. Jackson came away with the award.
