Conference Preview: ACC Sleepers, Busts, and All-Conference Teams

Conference Preview: ACC Sleepers, Busts, and All-Conference Teams

This article is part of our Conference Preview series.

Conference Preview: ACC 

First Team

QB: Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (5)

RB: Sean Tucker, Syracuse (6)

RB: Will Shipley, Clemson (23)

WR: A.T. Perry, Wake Forest (5)

WR: Dontayvion Wicks, UVA (31) 

WR: Josh Downs, UNC (15)

TE: Marshon Ford, Louisville (9)

Second Team

QB: Brennan Armstrong, UVA (14)

RB: Jaylan Knighton, Miami (31)

RB: Pat Garwo, Boston College (34)

WR: Donavan Greene, Wake Forest (16)

WR: Keytaon Thompson, UVA (21)

WR: Zay Flowers, BC (11)

TE: Gavin Batholomew, Pitt (10)

Third Team:

QB: Malik Cunningham, Louisville (1)

RB: Jalen Mitchell, Louisville (42)

RB: British Brooks, UNC (43)

WR: Thayer Thomas, North Carolina State (33)

WR: Jared Wayne, Pitt (77)

WR: Konata Mumpfield, Pittsburgh (29)

TE: Will Mallory, Miami (14)

ACC Sleepers

QB: Jordan Travis (27), Florida State  

Travis missed a good bit of time last year while dealing with shoulder injuries, but when he was on the field he was extremely dynamic. The Seminoles signal-caller is effective both through the air and on the ground as he racked up 1,539 yards on 62.9 percent passing with 15 touchdowns while also running for 530 yards and seven touchdowns. With some more action and hopefully a little help from an offensive line that was less than stellar in 2021, Travis could be due for a breakout 2022.

RB: Treshaun Ward, Florida State

With Jashaun Corbin gone to the NFL, Treshaun Ward will take over duties in the FSU backfield. Ward was productive in a relief role as he totaled 515 yards on 6.4 yards per carry. He was also very active in the passing game with 21 receptions. With a boost in workload and his ability to be a factor both on the ground and through the air, Ward should be in for a solid season in his junior year.

RB: Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh

Abanikanda battled injuries all season in 2021, he made appearances in 13 of 14 games but wasn't 100 percent for the majority of them. When healthy, Abanikanda has shown he can be a difference maker, putting up 140 yards on 21 carries against a stout Virginia Tech defense last season. With the loss of Kenny Pickett, Abanikanda could see some more work in 2022 despite the addition of Kedon Slovis at quarterback. If Abanikanda can remain healthy he could see a solid uptick in production.

WR: Jaelen Gill, Boston College

Gill came out of high school in 2018 as the 30th ranked prospect and number two running back according to 247Sports. Gill transferred in from Ohio State last year and immediately saw his NFL prospect quarterback, Phil Jurkovec go down with a shoulder injury. With a clean slate for Jurkovec going into 2022 things could really open up for Gill out of the slot. With his dynamic play-making ability with the ball in his hands, Boston College may also look to get Gill involved in the offense on the ground with end-arounds.

Busts

QB: Kedon Slovis, Pittsburgh

Slovis transfers into Pitt from USC where he had a breakout freshman season followed by underwhelming sophomore and junior seasons where he battled injuries. Slovis will be coming in to replace Kenny Pickett who was the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett had two key factors that made him successful in the Panthers' offense that Slovis does not. Slovis does not have the athleticism or ability to create and extend plays when things break down around him. Slovis also does not have the luxury of having the Biletnikoff award winner Jordan Addison to open things up downfield and occupy defenders. Slovis may be a big-name transfer but I'm not sure the Pitt offense will be able to maintain nearly as much success as they had in 2021.

QB: D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson

After some promising appearances in place of a banged-up Trevor Lawrence during his freshman season, Uiagalelei really disappointed in 2021. Uiagalelei completed just 55.6 percent of his passes while throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. While head coach Dabo Swinney has been adamant that Uiagalelei is his guy he may be on a really short leash in 2022. True freshman and fan favorite in the Clemson Orange and White spring game, Cade Klubnik, is waiting in the wings. Klubnik comes in with all the high school accolades, number one quarterback MaxPrep Player of the year and so on. If Uiagalelei stumbles out the gate the offense could quickly turnover to Klubnik.

RB: Tiyon Evans, Louisville

Evans is transferring to Louisville from a crowded Tennessee backfield in hopes of more carries. Evans will be joining an offense centered around quarterback Malik Cunningham and still retains its top running back from a season ago, Jalen Mitchell. While Evans shows promise and was productive against SEC defenses, there just may not be enough carries to go around to give Evans the type of production to break out in 2022.

WR: Keyshawn Helton, Florida State

Helton going into his senior year looks like he may be an odd man out in an overhauled wide receiver room. Helton has been fairly productive during his tenure as a Seminole as he has had over 100 yards and a touchdown in all four seasons of his career at Florida State. Helton had his best season last year with 19 catches for 285 yards however with the large class of transfer wide receivers Helton's role may be diminished. West Virginia transfer Winston Wright looked like he might have been the top option for number one wideout before suffering a severe leg injury from a car accident in the spring. Ontaria Wilson has been the Seminoles leading pass catcher in back-to-back seasons, Mycah Pittman a former top-100 prospect and transfer from Oregon has also impressed. Redshirt sophomore Ja'Khi Douglas fills a similar role and may be more explosive now has two seasons under his belt the last of which, he put up numbers similar to Helton's.

2022 College Fantasy Football Draft Kit

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jake Blanchard
Jake attended college at the University of Alabama, where a childhood love for college football truly blossomed. During his time in college, Jake started his own blog, where he wrote about all sports, but it mainly focused on college football, NFL and MLB while also giving gambling advice. Jake now covers college football for RotoWire.
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