In order for a team to be successful in football at all levels, it must have effective quarterback play. In continuing our series at Last Word on College Football, we will now take a look at the best returning ACC quarterbacks. The ACC did lose a great talent in Cam Ward, but the conference has a good roster of signal-callers for the upcoming college football season. The following list only contains four, but the strength of quarterbacks in the ACC goes beyond that. The ACC should have an exciting 2025 season as we examine the best returning ACC quarterbacks.
Best Returning ACC Quarterbacks
4. Tommy Castellanos (Florida State)
Tommy Castellanos returns to the state of Florida, but remains in the ACC. After two seasons for the Boston College Eagles, he transferred to Florida State to be the new starter for the Seminoles. Castellanos began his college career with the UCF Golden Knights where he was coached by the new Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. Over the last two seasons at Boston College, he threw for 3,614 yards and 33 touchdowns in 21 games played. After throwing 14 interceptions in 2023, he improved, taking care of the football with just five. Malzahn likes to use his quarterback in the run game at previous stops at UCF and Auburn. During the 2023 season, Castellanos rushed for 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns. He should have some good playmakers around him on a rebuilt offense. Mike Norvell and staff went heavy into the transfer portal. They added receivers Squirrel White from Tennessee and Duce Robinson from USC.
3. Haynes King (Georgia Tech)
Haynes King dealt with injuries during the 2024 season, but he remained effective, leading Georgia Tech to seven wins and a berth in the Birmingham Bowl. One of those wins was an upset victory over Miami that contributed to the Hurricanes not reaching the College Football Playoff. There were games last season where King was injured to the point, he was unable to be effective throwing the football. The Yellow Jackets were forced to rely more on his running ability in those games. King rushed for over 100 yards in games versus North Carolina (107 yards) and Georgia (110 yards). In an eight-overtime loss to the Bulldogs, he also rushed for three touchdowns. Over his two seasons at Georgia Tech, King has rushed for 1,324 yards and 21 touchdowns. When healthy, King is one of the best in the ACC. In two seasons, he has passed for 4,956 yards and 41 touchdowns. His top target, Malik Rutherford, returns after leading Georgia Tech with 62 receptions.
2. Kevin Jennings (SMU)
Kevin Jennings had a breakout season for the SMU Mustangs last season, leading them to the College Football Playoff. The season began with Jennings splitting time at quarterback with Preston Stone. He would eventually take over as the full-time quarterback for the Mustangs after three games. During the season, he threw for 3,245 yards and 23 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 65%. The season ended on a sour note for the Mustangs losing to Penn State in the first round of the College Football Playoff. They lost to the Nittany Lions 38-10 in a game where the Mustangs moved the ball but could not capitalize. Jennings threw three interceptions in the game after just throwing eight in the previous 12 games. SMU did lose wide receivers Roderick Daniels Jr. and Key’Shawn Smith, but they do return Jordan Hudson. Jennings and the Mustangs will look to return to the College Football Playoff to show that last season was not a fluke.
1. Cade Klubnik (Clemson)
There is no doubt that the best returning ACC quarterback is Clemson’s Cade Klubnik. He has shown great growth as a quarterback over his time with the Tigers. 2025 will be the fourth season, and third as the full-time starter for Klubnik at Clemson. The 2024 season saw big improvement in his statistics from the 2023 season. Last season, he threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with just six interceptions. The previous season, Klubnik had just 2,844 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has developed into a quarterback who is now looked at as a potential first-round draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Clemson returns their top three wide receivers with Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr., and T.J. Moore. The three combined for 161 receptions with 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. The one issue with the offense could be the running back. The Tigers are moving wide receiver Adam Randall to running back to replace Phil Mafah and Jay Haynes.
Main Image: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
