With the recruiting cycle winding down there are many ACC teams that made big splashes in the recruiting market, while others failed to do so. With National Signing day here, there are teams that can gain heavily by landing a big recruit whether it is a 5-star talent or a much-needed position filler of any rating. Although the ACC doesn’t collectively have the most talented recruit classes, the conference has put together a strong group of players.

14. Wake Forest: Wake Forest is at the bottom of the list when it comes to recruit strength. Regardless of this, their class isn’t necessarily weak. They have a total of 21 recruits with 17 of them being 3-star recruits. They haven’t had much interest from big names, with most of the ones they did having dropped them from contention. That being said, they still have some strong players coming in. Weak-side defensive end Michael Allen heads their recruit class. With a 6’6, 241-pound frame, Allen oozes potential. Being coached up properly can lead to this young man becoming a true force in college football. Running back Christian Beal could also turn some heads right out of the gate. Don’t expect much from Wake Forest on signing day; they will not get a big name.

13. Boston College: BC was close to being 12th on the list, but just hasn’t obtained the fire power to bump it up in the rankings. Of its 21 recruits, 18 of them are 3-stars, very similar to Wake Forest. This is a trend many of the bottom-tier ACC teams have. They have some good players coming in next year such as ATH A.J. Dillon. He can play both running back and middle linebacker with a big 230-pound frame. He has a lot of promise as a player. Also OG Ben Patrula can bring a lot right from the start for the shaky BC offense. He is a monster at 6’6, 320 and should be able to step into playing time early. When it comes to signing day, I could see BC being able to pull in a few more recruits. They are still at the top of a few 3-stars lists. Emeka Emzie is one of the players I can see making the commitment to play for BC. The 6’3.5 long receiver would be a great fit for BC and would likely get early playing time.

12. Virginia: UVA has a large recruiting class of 25, but is another team without a player ranked higher than 3-stars. That being said, 22 of the recruits are of that caliber. Virginia is coming off of a poor season, so the large recruiting class could possibly be a key in turning it around next season. Many of their recruits are very close in composite rating but pro-style QB Lindell Stone really stands out when it comes to this group. Starting QB Kurt Benkert did not play poorly this year, but he definitely was not great. Stone could definitely put up a fight this coming season for the starting position. OT Ryan Nelson could be protecting whoever the QB is early, as well. On signing day, they have a shot at landing a few solid players such as DE Aliki Vimahi who is expected to sign with either the Cavaliers or University of Southern California. That looks to be their major possible signing for the day.

11. Syracuse: Syracuse just barely edged out Virginia for this next spot. Although they have less recruits with 21 (all of which being 3-star), the big difference maker is JUCO tight end Ravian Pierce. At 6’4 he is a huge body to throw the ball up to, and has been able to mature his game at a lower level. He could fill in and be a giant threat to defenses. Their top recruit, Tommy Devito, is a solid pro-style QB who could be the one delivering him the ball, but he would have to beat out starting QB Dungey to do so. Overall Syracuse has a pretty solid group coming in, with possibly more to come. 3-star DE Brandon Berry is expected to commit, which would be a great addition off the edge. They’re also expected to snag another DE in Marcus Bowman, who is also being recruited by South Carolina. They could set up a future pass rush with just two late commits.

10. N.C. State: They have 18 of 19 recruits being 3-stars, headlined by DT Grant Gibson. Gibson is less of a monster at 6’1, but at 305 he is a large force to try and move. They have a very similar recruiting class to Syracuse and Virginia with a lot of widespread talent. They have signed three outside linebackers and four defensive ends in an attempt to stack up their defense. CB Chris Ingram will bring great athleticism to the teams as well. Although they have done well so far, it does not look like they will gain much on signing day.

9. Duke: Duke is the first team on the list that landed a 4-star recruit, with 22 total. Weak-side defensive end Drew Jordan is the star of this class, being ranked over 100 spots higher than their next highest recruit. At 6’2, 236 pounds he is a very versatile player off the edge. You can look for him to be a dominant player on the Duke defense. Also Jacob Rimmer could be a monster OT for this team, standing at 6’7. His size can be built around. Duke has a very talented group coming in, and also has a shot at landing a good 3-star receiver on signing day. Austin Connor is uncommitted with Duke being one of the favorites. Other than him, though, it does not look like Duke will sign much more star-caliber talent on signing day.

8. Georgia Tech: Barely beating out Duke for the 8th spot, Georgia Tech has a good class coming. It is led by 4-star recruit Bruce Jordan-Swilling. The OLB standing at 6’0 is a great athlete who is very skilled. He is GT’s star signing, being ranked the 12^th best OLB in the 2017 class. He should bring good energy to the Tech defense. Another key signing of the Yellow Jackets’ is a man who will be competing with Jordan-Swilling for playtime. OLB Kaleb Oliver is a tall 6’3, but only weighs in at 205. He should bring a lot of athleticism to the team as well as competiveness, which is great for the development of players. Although they do have a solid class coming in, they do not look like they are going to have many big commits on signing day. They have few big names interested in them.

7. Pittsburgh: Pitt has a surprisingly strong recruiting class this year. It has 18 commits, two of which are 4-star recruits. It also has had four players enroll early. The recruiting class is led by safety Paris Ford. He was an early commit, committing in 2015. He is a great secondary threat who should contribute right away. The only shaky thing about the 53rd ranked player in this class is his mediocre 4.53 40-yard dash. Another huge signing for the Panthers is 4-star running back Todd Sibley who has the potential to be James Connor’s replacement, but only time will tell. Not only do they have a strong recruiting class already, they might also sign a big name or two on signing day. Pitt is 4-star running back A.J. Davis’ apparent number one option and is also in the competition for monster 4-star OT Thayer Munford. If they sign these two they could bump up even further on this list.

6. Louisville: After a strong season and Heisman award winner, Louisville was able to draw in some recruits. They have a class of 22 strong with 4 enrollees, one of which is 4-star safety CJ Avery. Other than him, they have two other 4-star recruits committed. The headliner of the group is running back Colin Wilson. He will be just another threat for this loaded offense, and should get good playing time. Another big signing for the team was 3-star receiver Justin Marshall. Just another target for Lamar Jackson to utilize. When it comes down to signing day, they should sign a few quality players but in the end will most likely fall short of getting top rated talent. 4-star and the 40th ranked player in the country, WR Jeff Thomas, is expected to sign with Miami (Fla.) over Louisville.

5. North Carolina: In what may come as a surprise to some, UNC has a dangerously strong recruiting class. With a total of 20 recruits, four are 4-star caliber talent, which is a huge pickup for the Tar Heels. Of the five, four are already enrolled in school, which will be great for their development. The two that headline the enrollees are OG Jonah Melton and DE Jake Lawler. Melton is ranked the 9th best player at his position, while Lawler is 12th at his. Both should contribute early. ATH CJ Cotman is the only of the five who is not already enrolled, but he is a force regardless. He can play a variety of positions, but look for him to be on the offensive side of the ball. Although their class is strong, they are not expected to make any big signings on signing day. I would expect very, very little.

4. Virginia Tech: The Hokies are ranked this high for a few reasons, one of which is the fact that they have 27 recruits in total. That is a lot of players, five being 4-star recruits and 22 being 3-star. They have a whopping nine players already enrolled, one of which is a 4-star recruit, dual-threat QB Hendon Hooker. His 6’4 frame makes him a great asset as an athlete. VT’s other 4-star recruits are top of the line when it comes to 4-stars. OLB Nathan Proctor, OLB Dylan Rivers and ATH Tyjaun Garbutt are all ranked in the top 15 of their positions. But, none of them are more impressive than their star safety recruit Devon Hunter. He is ranked the 45th best player in the country, as well as 3rd best safety. The star had 34 offers from other schools. When it comes to signing day, don’t expect them to make a big splash. They already have a large class as it is and their top recruits otherwise are not expected to sign with them, although there is a chance for one or two.

3. Miami: Miami was able to pull together a very strong class of 21 recruits with seven of them being 4-star players. Nearly half of their recruits (10) are already enrolled in the school. Of the talented group, it is headlined by two excellent players on opposite sides of the ball. One of them is OT Navaughn Donaldson. The 6’5, 335-pound giant is ranked the 11th best player at his position. His size could be a huge factor in his playing time, maybe even possibly being moved to guard. The other player is DE D.J. Johnson. Standing at 6’5, 240, he will be an incredibly tough block off the edge. These two highlight the great class of recruits. One thing that is also certain, expect Miami to make a huge splash on signing day. They have many top 4-star recruits interested in them. I expect them to land at least three more 4-star recruits, including aforementioned stud receiver Jeff Thomas.

2. Clemson: Clemson yet again has one of the top recruiting classes in the country, but not strong enough to be the top class in the ACC. Clemson has one of the smaller classes of 14, but they are nearly all strong players — two 5-stars and nine 4-stars. This class is truly a star-filled group, but it is led by three specific players. The top dog of the group is Tee Higgins. Tee is a 6’4 WR and is ranked as the 2nd best WR in the class, and 30^th overall. He will have the opportunity to step in and replace Mike Williams as the go-to guy. Next is Hunter Johnson, 2nd-best QB and 30th overall. Johnson has a cannon for an arm, a cannon that led him to be the U.S. Army All-American Game MVP. He should be a huge contender in Clemson’s QB race. Lastly of the three is CB AJ Terrell. The 6yh ranked corner is a long 6’2 and could have the opportunity to replace All-American Cordrea Tankersly. Clemson put the finishing touches on its class with 4-star RB Travis Etienne’s commitment last week, so there won’t be any drama on signing day.

1. Florida State: The king of ACC in recruiting this year was most definitely FSU. FSU has 21 total recruits with three 5-stars and seven 4-stars. Even though you may be thinking, “Hey, that’s not too much,” you should see the quality of players. They have 6 total players in the top 100, and 4 of them are in the top 40. They are led by their three 5-star recruits and especially their gem Cam Akers. Akers is the No. 1 running back in the nation, and also the No. 2 player overall. The absolute stud from Clinton should be the perfect replacement for top draft prospect Dalvin Cook. Next is Joshua Kaindoh, the 6’6 DE. He is ranked the 3rd best player at his position and 9th best player overall. His size alone can lead to him being an incredibly effective player. Lastly of the 5-stars, is No. 1 ranked all-purpose back Khalan Laborn. As shown in his position’s name, he can do it all. Like Clemson, signing day can be huge for them, but it is very hit or miss. They are still in contention with a 5-star DT and the 6^th-best overall player, Marvin Wilson, as well as many 4-star recruits. FSU has dominated.