Chip Bremer
Now that the NBA Draft is over and men’s college basketball rosters are pretty much set for the upcoming season, it’s time to think about how the ACC stacks up based on roster projections. So, while the season tipoff is still 3-4 months away, here’s a “way too early” look at the conference from top to bottom:
1. Louisville. Pat Kelsey did the unthinkable last season by revamping the entire Louisville roster and turning it into one of the conference’s best program—and he’s done it again. Kelsey landed one of the top freshman guards in the nation in Mikel Brown, then secured three of the top guards in the transfer portal to build an explosive backcourt. Then he added German big man Sananda Fru to a frontcourt that already includes stalwarts J’Vonne Hadley, Kasean Pryor and Khani Rooths. On paper, this may be the ACC’s best chance at a national title contender.
2. Duke. Now that Cooper Flagg and company have moved on, the Blue Devils will pin their hopes on another top freshmen class led by the dynamic Boozer twins. Cameron Boozer is a one-man wrecking crew down low who will have a lot of room to operate with centers Patrick Ngongba and Maliq Brown returning. Cayden Boozer will alternate lead guard responsibilities with junior Caleb Foster, while Isaiah Evans will have another chance to prove to NBA scouts he can be a consistent perimeter threat. The Devils may take a step back, but not too far.
3. NC State. Will Wade made a big-time splash in Raleigh when he pulled in one of the top transfer classes led by high-octane forward Darrion Williams. The Texas Tech transfer will team up with a host of other new faces, including Tre Holloman, Terrance Arceneaux and Ven-Allen Lubin, to put the Wolfpack back on the map. With Williams down low, sophomore wing Paul McNeil is expected to have a breakout campaign, while freshman Matt Able may be the team’s next go-to scorer.
4. UNC. Despite the backlash over last season’s roster construction, Hubert Davis seems to have rebounded nicely by bringing in a solid transfer class led by former Arizona center Henri Veesaar, who should solve a lot of problems for the Tar Heels’ frontline. Blue-chip forward Caleb Wilson and Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson will provide a lot of firepower around Veesar, as will international scoring machine Luka Bogavac. The key will be how quickly Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans settles in at point guard next to returnee Seth Trimble.
5. SMU. Andy Enfield and the Mustangs were able to make some serious noise in their first year of ACC play, and they could be in line for another successful campaign. The returning backcourt of Boopie Miller and B.J. Edwards is solid, and the frontcourt of center Samet Yigitoglu, Michigan transfer Sam Walters and powerful freshman Jaden Toombs could be one of the conference’s best. The main question is whether Enfield can get transfers Jaron Pierre and Corey Washington to match the production of departed wing Matt Cross.
6. Syracuse. With double digit scorers J.J. Starling and Donnie Freeman returning for another year, things were already looking up for the Orange, but the arrival of Georgia Tech transfer Nait George at point guard immediately makes them a contender. The additions of impact freshmen Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White also provide a much-needed spark for Adrian Autry, as his program looks to take the next step forward.
7. Virginia. New coach Ryan Odom worked quickly to put together a competitive roster, and some of his additions may help the Cavaliers return to that upper tier of the ACC. BYU transfer Dallin Hall gives the Wahoos an experienced leader at the point, and former San Francisco wing Malik Thomas will provide an immediate scoring boost from the wing. Twin towers Johann Grunloh and Ugonna Onyenso provide an inside-out combination that most teams often covet.
8. Miami. Former Duke assistant Jai Lucas brings an aggressive defensive style to Coral Gables that will be complemented by the physicality of a transfer class that includes experienced scorers like Tre Donaldson (Michigan), Tru Washington (New Mexico) and Malik Reneau (Indiana). He also managed to steal sensational freshman wing Shelton Henderson away from Duke to give the Hurricanes some added offensive firepower.
9. Notre Dame. Speaking of firepower, the Irish return the conference’s most explosive guard tandem in Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry and bring in one of the most talented freshmen in the country in wing Jalen Haralson. If center Kebba Njie and Northern Arizona transfer Carson Towt can dominate the glass, Notre Dame could have a breakout year.
10. Clemson. It’s never easy to replace your entire starting lineup, but that’s what Brad Brownell is doing. Luckily, he still has guard Dillon Hunter to fill his brother’s shoes, and a host of impact transfers, including do-everything big man Nick Davidson (Nevada) and scoring guard Jestin Porter (Middle Tennessee State). Also, forward R.J. Godfrey returns from Georgia to provide some much-needed experience.
11. Wake Forest. The Deacons also have plenty of holes to fill, though they do return high-energy forward Tre’Von Spillers and flashy guard Juke Harris. To compensate, Steve Forbes brought in some capable talent through the portal in guards Nate Calamese (Washington State) and Mekhi Mason (Washington) and forward Omaha Biliew (Iowa State), who is primed for a breakout campaign.
12. Pittsburgh. The Panthers have one of the more impressive frontcourts in the ACC with massive Iowa State transfer Dishon Jackson joining vets Cam Corhen and Papa Kante. The key is whether Oregon State transfer Damarco Minor can take enough of the point guard duties to free up Brandin Cummings to be the lead guard he needs to be to get Pitt to the next level.
13. Georgia Tech. Damon Stoudamire also is looking for a breakthrough for the Yellowjackets, and by bringing in athletic center Mo Sylia to pair with shot-blocker Baye Ndongo down low, they have a chance to make some noise. Returning guards Kowacie Reeves and Jaeden Mustaf are reliable, but Stoudamire will need Pacific transfer Lamar Washington to step into a leadership role at point.
14. California. Just when Mark Madsen seems to have the program heading in the right direction, he loses his top two players (Andrej Stojakovic and Jeremiah Wilkinson) to transfer. The good news is, he’s managed to field a competitive lineup with experienced transfers Dai Dai Ames (Virginia), Justin Pippen (Michigan), Chris Bell (Syracuse) and John Camden (Delaware) joining the team.
15. Florida State. First-year coach Luke Loucks will face his share of struggles this season, but at least he was able to find some under-the-radar talent in the transfer portal. Kobe MaGee (Drexel) and Rob McCray (Jacksonville) will add some perimeter scoring pop, and Chaucey Wiggins will come over from Clemson to stabilize the frontcourt, but the key will be integrating UMass Lowell transfer Martin Somerville into the lineup at point.
16. Boston College. Still looking to find their way out of the ACC basement, the Eagles have added some interesting pieces around returning guard Donald Hand. Aidan Shaw (Missouri) and Jason Asemota (Baylor) are both upgrades at forward looking for a fresh start, and Chase Forte (South Dakota) could be a fixture in the backcourt if he can handle the upgrade in competition.
17. Virginia Tech. Mike Young is still struggling to put the Hokies back on the map, but the portal additions may not be enough. Izaiah Pasha (Delaware) could be an impact player at the point, and Jailen Bedford (UNLV) can provide some perimeter spark to complement returnee Jaden Schutt. The frontcourt will need Amani Hansberry (West Virginia) to step up in a big way.
18. Stanford. Cardinal coach Kyle Smith has his work cut out as he did little to upgrade the talent level to match ACC competition. Still, there’s hope returnees Ryan Agarwal and Chisom Okpara can help newcomers Jeremy Dent-Smith and Oskar Giltay adjust to conference play and possibly help Stanford survive the season.
So, what does this mean for 2025-26?
Fortunately for Duke fans, they’ve got another top-notch recruiting class coming in led by the Boozer twins (Cameron and Cayden), so they’ll be among the nation’s elite yet again. There’s a good chance Jon Scheyer filled the vacancies of Flagg and the other early departures withsome gritty veterans through the transfer portal who are specialists at closing out tight games.
Pat Kelsey did so much more than just revive the Louisville program with his magic transfer portal roster overhaul—he put the Cardinals back on the map with national recruits. Now Louisville is considered on the same footing as Duke—meaning it’s the only other program garnering national attention.
Will UNC join them? That will depend on whether Hubert Davis recruited his way around the personnel losses he sustained and added enough high-octane firepower and rebounding needed to become the program it once was. Davis will have to prove he can be the coach who can recruit the transfer portal aggressively and take the same approach to the court.
As for the new coaches, Jai Lucas already set himself up nicely in Miami. His ability to
recruit through the portal combined with the vicious defensive style he leveraged at Duke, will eventually make him a formidable piece in the ACC coaching fraternity.
Ryan Odom is a perfect fit at Virginia, and has the connections to make the local recruiting pipeline relevant again. He also exhibits the toughness that can make the Cavaliers program an ACC player in the future.
But the most immediate impact might come from Will Wade in Raleigh, where he has recruiting experience to take the Kelsey approach and revamp the Wolfpack roster and the coaching acumen to build a solid foundation without having to worry about getting caught paying players—which is essentially what everyone does now.