The ACC is home to some of the best and most accomplished football players in the country, but there are still a number of players that have a lot to prove in 2015. Here are the top five:
5) QB Jacoby Brissett, NC State Wolfpack
Brissett helped the Wolfpact go from a 3-9 season in 2013 to a 8-5 record in 2014, breathing life into a program that desperately needed it. While NC State isn't expected to do anything crazy this season, Brissett and Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren have said they expect him to compete for ACC Player of the Year - now he has to back it up on the field.
4) QB Marquise Williams, North Carolina Tar Heels
Williams' versatility makes him one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the country, and UNC does everything they can to utilize his skill set. In eight ACC games last year, Williams passed for 2,021 yards and 14 scores to just five interceptions while leading the Tar Heels with 783 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. However, he has yet to bring a lot of wins to Chapel Hill, which he needs to do this year to live up to the sky-high expectations he entered college with.
3) QB Brad Kaaya, Miami Hurricanes
Kaaya started all 13 games for Miami last year as a true freshman, passing for 3,198 yards and 26 touchdowns. He should be better with another year to develop, and with star running back Duke Johnson in the NFL, he'll have plenty of opportunities to show what he can do. Similar to Williams, Miami's fan base is counting on Kaaya to carry them to the top of the ACC in his second season. If he can't, his coach will very likely be fired after the season.
2) QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson Tigers
Watson is in Brad Kaaya's situation - times ten. He started five games a true freshman, throwing for 1,466 yards and 14 touchdown passes with just two interceptions and completed 68% of this passes while showing flashes of being a truly fantastic quarterback. Clemson has been picked to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff because of those flashes he has shown, and now it's on him to prove he can produce like that on a full-time basis.
1) QB Everett Golson, Florida State Seminoles
Golson got a lot of legitimate Heisman hype at the beginning of last season with Notre Dame, but ended up losing his starting job at the end of the season due to turnover problems. That caused him to transfer to FSU, where he not only has to prove that he is still a really good quarterback, but has to replace a former Heisman winning and No. 1 overall draft pick in Jameis Winston. The Seminoles are counting on him to be extremely productive this season, and he needs to be for them to meet their championship aspirations.
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