The college football spring games don’t mean anything in the long run but they do give the coaches, media and fans their first look at this year’s rosters including new faces and those competing in key position battles. There was certainly plenty to talk about following this year’s spring games including which players stood out the most.
Here is a look at the top spring game MVP’s from ACC teams.
QB: Lamar Jackson
Louisville Cardinals
No player in college football put up better numbers in the spring game than Jackson, who completed 24-of-29 passes for 514 yards and eight touchdowns. Those are ridiculous numbers for a spring game and provided a renewed level of optimism for Cardinals’ fans that they are on track for something special in the ACC this season. Jackson has worked hard to improve his accuracy and there was never any doubt about his arm strength and ability to make plays with his legs as a speedy dual-threat option at the position. There are several players that stood out throughout the ACC this spring, but none of them were better than Jackson, who delivered the best performance of the spring regardless of conference. He’s the reason why there is so much excitement surrounding Louisville in the coming season as he could immediately be one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
DL: Christian Wilkins
Clemson Tigers
Clemson is absolutely loaded on offense with Heisman trophy contender DeShaun Watson leading the way for them at the quarterback position. The problem is that they are dealing with substantial turnover on the defensive side of the football and will be relying on several new faces to make a significant impact. One of those players is the defensive lineman Wilkins, who will be asked to help replace Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd up front. The sophomore is up to 315 pounds and is still extremely agile and quick with the potential to both stuff the run and get after opposing passers and he has looked extremely good for Clemson this spring. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables has raved about Wilkins’ potential up front and there is no doubt he has been their defensive MVP early on this spring.
S: Derwin James
Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles feel they are ready to contend with Clemson for the ACC championship this season and while they will be in tough to knock off the Tigers at the top, they do have some exceptional talent on both sides of the football. Their sophomore safety James is one of those players and he showed why he has been so hyped in the Florida State spring practice. James was all over the field making plays for the Seminoles’ defense making plays in coverage while also jumping up near the line of scrimmage to attack the run. James made tremendous progress while proving he deserved a bigger role on the FSU defense in his freshman year an he will look to build on that initial season as a key member of the Seminoles’ defense this season. They’re going to need him to step up after the team lost Jalen Ramsey to the NFL Draft. There are some question marks about the secondary right now but it looks like they have the horses to plug the holes.
LB: Jonathan Smith
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina turned a lot of heads with their level of play last season but one area they certainly could have used some help is at linebacker. The true freshman Smith will get the opportunity to step in and make an immediate impact this season as a three-star in-state product that has made an outstanding first impression this spring. Smith recorded three tackles in the spring game and was consistently in position to make more as he roved near the line of scrimmage in excellent position for the most part. The Tar Heels have plenty of big play options on offense but they will be relying on young players including Smith in particularly in order to hold their own on defense this season.
