CLEMSON — Currently, seven former ACC quarterbacks are starting in the NFL. Two of those are from Clemson – Trevor Lawrence with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Deshaun Watson with Cleveland.

“I have seen so many good quarterbacks and Heisman Trophy winners. I mean, I have seen some great ones come through this league,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

Besides Lawrence and Watson, Duke’s Daniel Jones starts for the New York Giants. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson is the starter in Baltimore. NC State’s Russell Wilson is in Denver. North Carolina’s Sam Howell is the guy at Washington and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett is still in the Steel City starting for the Steelers.

The ACC will likely add a few more starting quarterbacks in the league over the next four years. Once again, the conference is loaded at the quarterback position which is led by Heisman Trophy Candidates Drake Maye out of North Carolina and Florida State’s Jordan Travis.

“There are some dudes in this league,” Swinney said.

Unfortunately for Swinney, his Clemson team has already or will play most of those dudes, including Saturday when it takes on Garrett Shrader and the Syracuse Orange.

“I noticed that, and I knew we would be playing them all too when we went to this one division here,” Swinney said.

The Tigers (2-2, 0-2 ACC) have already played Duke’s Riley Leonard and Travis. Unfortunately for them, they are 0-2 in those matchups.

Clemson still has future dates with Maye, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King, Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke, Wake’s Mitch Griffis and NC State’s Brennan Armstrong.

“Certainly, it seems like everybody has a guy who can beat you,” Swinney said. “Obviously, that is the most critical position. If you don’t have a quarterback, you get average real quick.

“Everybody has got somebody. I have seen some good young guys in our league that I did not really know much about. Like the kid I saw up at Boston College when we were getting ready for Florida State. Man, what a performance he had. I did not know much about him.”

That’s Boston College’s Thomas Castellanos, who is averaging 9.0 yards per attempt.

“There are some good young ones, but certainly, these guys that we have to play – you know, Georgia Tech has got the kid that transferred in there. I think he is a very good player. Wake Forest always has a quarterback. NC State has a veteran in Armstrong. Van Dyke down there at Miami. I mean South Carolina with [Spencer] Rattler. Everybody’s got one. North Carolina, Drake Maye, he is pretty good.”

Rattler is second in the SEC, averaging 310.5 yards per game through the air, while completing 74.2 percent of his passes. He is averaging 9.7 yards per attempt.

By the way, the Tigers also have to face former Wake Forest, now Notre Dame quarterback, Sam Hartman, who threw six touchdown passes on Clemson last year. Hartman has already thrown for 1,236 yards, while completing 70.4 percent of his passes. He has 14 touchdown passes to no interceptions.

“Yeah, we have a tough road ahead with these guys. It is a very, very deep league,” Swinney said. “In my opinion, it has always been that way from a quarterback perspective. This year exemplifies that.”

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