Every year in college football, the star senior and junior players leave for the NFL and are replaced by a new class of talented players set to step up and lead the way. Across the nation there are breakout players for their respective teams that take that next step and make a name for themselves in the game. There is a lot of exciting talent up-and-coming in the ACC as it’s no longer just a two-horse race in this conference. Here is a look at four potential breakout players to watch from the ACC this season.
QB: Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels are coming off an excellent season in which they went 8-0 in conference play en route to an 11-3 record out of the ACC Coastal division and there is plenty of optimism about their potential to excel this year even without Marquise Williams in the mix. Williams was deemed as one of their main reasons for success as he was a gifted, athletic player that guided this offense to new heights. Remember, he took a lot of flack when the team scored just 13 points in their season opening loss to the South Carolina, but then he took a ton of credit for guiding the team to average 43.2 points per game over the next 11 games (all wins). He’s gone now, but the team isn’t expecting much of a drop-off.
That is in big part because of the arrival of Trubisky, who will take the torch and look to run with it at the quarterback position. Trubisky pushed Williams hard for the starting job last season and he looked good as a backup as he completed 40 of 47 passes for 555 yards and six touchdowns. He might not complete 85.1-percent of his pass attempts again this year but he has all of the tools to thrive at the quarterback position and lead what projects to be an impressive North Carolina offense in 2016.
DT: Dexter Lawrence, Clemson Tigers
Heisman trophy-nominated quarterback Deshaun Watson will attempt to lead the defending national champion runner-up Clemson back to the College Football Playoff with an absolutely loaded cast of talent around him on offense this season. However, they will need help from a defense that will be in transition after six players left early to enter the NFL Draft. The Tigers still have a ton of talent on that side of the football with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence leading the way and they will need him to step up big time to help fill the void. Lawrence was rated as the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect per 247Sports and his ridiculous combination of size, power and speed should be an asset. The 6’4’’, 327-pound defensive tackle has the potential to be an absolute force and Clemson will rely on him for a breakout performance this season. He’ll be a key cog on one of the top ACC teams.
DE: Josh Sweat, Florida State Seminoles
Sweat was still recovering from a major knee injury suffered in high school when he registered 41 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks as a freshman at Florida State last season. After another year removed from the injury and with a full season of experience with the Seminoles, Sweat will be expected to contribute at an even higher level this season. The 6’5’’, 236-pound defensive end is a consistent pass rusher that has the potential to take another major step forward coming off the edge this season. Sweat has all of the attributes of an elite college end and he could be on the verge of a breakout performance for FSU. The Seminoles – and the ACC – have produced a lot of quality defensive players over the last few years and Sweat is the next in line to be a future NFL first-round pick.
LB: Stacy Thomas, Louisville Cardinals
There are plenty of reasons for optimism at Louisville heading in to this season and not just in the ACC play. They should be a Top 25 contender. The Cardinals are coming off an 8-5 season and return 17 starters, including eight on defense. One of those players is Thomas, who is set to take on a bigger role as an inside linebacker after registering 31 tackles in a limited role last season. Thomas is a super talented defender with the skill set to make plays as a pass rusher, defending the run and dropping back in coverage and Bobby Petrino will put him in position to maximize those talents in his defense this season.
