CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When the ACC’s predicted order of finish comes out in the coming days, Clemson will almost certainly be at the top. And that, perhaps, is just the start.
The Tigers are being discussed as national championship contenders thanks in part to a key position group that’s starting to look title-worthy again: wide receiver.
“We haven’t had this situation in a while,” head coach Dabo Swinney said.
When Clemson joined Alabama as the sport’s juggernauts from 2015 to 2018, that position was dominant for the Tigers. The 2016 national champions had a half-dozen receivers who at least made an NFL practice squad. Two (Hunter Renfrow and Ray-Ray McCloud III) are still in the league, and a third (Mike Williams) retired this month as the 10th-most prolific pass catcher in Chargers history. The 2018 title team had stars Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. But from 2021 to 2023, the Tigers had zero receivers earn all-conference recognition.
This year, however, looks different. Antonio Williams was an all-ACC performer last season. Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore combined for 10 touchdown catches and more than 1,300 yards as freshmen. Southeast Missouri State transfer Tristan Smith joined as the first big portal pickup of Swinney’s tenure, giving the Tigers another immediate contributor.
“We’re in a much different place than we’ve been really in the last couple years because we have six guys that really can start,” Swinney said. “I think hopefully we can really have two waves of terror to where we can play these guys.”
If he’s right, it’s easy to envision Clemson rising from College Football Playoff qualifiers to contenders this season.
A few other things we learned after three days of reporting at the Hilton Uptown Charlotte:
Tommy Castellanos isn’t backing down at Florida State
Florida State’s presumptive starting quarterback made headlines this offseason when he told On3 he didn’t envision the Seminoles’ Week 1 opponent, Alabama, stopping him without Nick Saban to “save them.”
Castellanos was asked several times about that remark. Each time, he said a version of, “We stand on what I said” (while adding that he was not trying to disrespect the Crimson Tide).
🗣️ “Being a part of Florida State is a dream come true.” – Tommy Castellanos
📺 @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/TvHICBTzTn
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 23, 2025
Castellanos, a transfer from Boston College, said he has the confidence to make that claim because of the talent around him.
“I’m around a lot of real dudes that — we’re all desperate,” Castellanos said. “When a man’s desperate, it’s scary.”
The other transfer quarterbacks are fascinating
Miami’s Carson Beck (from Georgia), Duke’s Darian Mensah (Tulane), North Carolina’s Gio Lopez (South Alabama) and Castellanos are probably the four most high-profile transfer quarterbacks in the conference. Two others are similarly intriguing.
Virginia’s Chandler Morris is on the fourth and final stop of a wild college career. He scored the first touchdown of the 2020 Big 12 championship for Oklahoma, beat out eventual Heisman runner-up Max Duggan for the starting job at TCU and was one of the nation’s top passers last season at North Texas. That last destination wasn’t the biggest, but it was crucial after injuries derailed him in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“Sometimes, when the game doesn’t love you back, it’s hard to love the game,” Morris said. “I was hurting. I just didn’t have that fire in me anymore.”
“You can’t coach experience.”
📺 ACC Network pic.twitter.com/Mo388YmusP
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) July 22, 2025
Last season’s success at North Texas (31 touchdown passes and a school-record 314.5 passing yards per game) reignited the fire that injuries had taken away. Morris said he fell in love with the game again and longed to get back to the Power 4 level.
“I just want to get back to it and get back on that big stage,” Morris said. “I want to get back to it and prove to myself that if I can go play a full season, I’m going to be up there with some of the best quarterbacks in the country.”
Miller Moss’ journey to Louisville had fewer stops but a different twist. The former top-100 national recruit signed with USC in December 2020 and broke out three years later in his first start with 372 yards and a Holiday Bowl record six touchdown passes against… Louisville.
“It’s kind of a random coincidence or full-circle moment, whatever you want to call it,” Moss said. “Fans will come up and say stuff to me. I’ll just let them know that we’re going to make up for it this year.”
Miller will join an offense that already has a dynamic run game led by last season’s ACC rookie of the year, Isaac Brown (1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns). If Miller plays well enough to make it up to Cardinals fans, Louisville could challenge for its second trip to the conference championship in three seasons.
Bill Belichick is funny?
North Carolina’s new coach had reporters laughing several times during Thursday’s breakout session. If that was a surprise to the media or outsiders, it wasn’t to his players.
“The first time I ever met him, he actually cracked a joke,” said Tar Heels defensive back Thaddeus Dixon, a transfer from Washington.
Alas, it was not a joke Dixon said he could repeat.
“Competition is what makes us all better.” 🗣️
Coach Belichick knows iron sharpens iron.
📺 @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/38zRJDbo4c
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 24, 2025
Lopez said Belichick “does demand greatness out of you,” but makes plenty of sly jokes along the way.
“He’ll be watching film, and he’ll say something that’s completely out of left field,” Lopez said. “You’re like, ‘Where did that come from?’ You just start laughing. He’s a funny guy.”
Stanford’s lame-duck, former NFL coach
When Stanford fired Troy Taylor after investigations into his treatment of athletic department employees in the spring, Cardinal general manager Andrew Luck couldn’t conduct a coaching search during the normal timeframe. Luck chose his former Indianapolis Colts head coach, Frank Reich, as the program’s interim head coach.
Four months later, Reich said he’s sure this is only a one-season gig. If there’s no chance Reich will be coaching the Cardinal beyond this fall, what does success look like for a bridge season?
“That’s a great question,” Reich said. “Certainly part of that success is going to be creating a culture that is a championship-type culture, really installing a mindset into a group of young players that will carry over after this year…
“This team has been down for a number of years, so how much progress can we make in one year? I’m optimistic. Because of the kind of players we’ve got, I know we’re going to win either way. We’ll have it set up for (the) long term.”
(Photo: Jim Dedmon / USA Today)
