1. Russell Wilson, NC State – (pictured left, courtesy ISM.com) As only a redshirt freshman, Russell Wilson was named first Team All-ACC. In 275 attempts, Wilson only threw one interception and led the ACC in passing efficiency with 1,955 yards. A threat to run as well, Wilson had almost 400 yards rushing in 2008. What makes him even more dangerous is the fact that his wide outs are going to be a year older and a year better.

2. Christian Ponder, FSU -Christian Ponder showed plenty of potential last season, leading Florida State to nine wins. He threw for over 2,000 yards, and as a second-year starter should improve quite a bit. Ponder demonstrates good mobility, running for 423 yards last year. He has been studying the playbook in and out and knows it probably better than Fisher himself. I expect the numbers to rise for Ponder this year since knowing the plays so well, but don’t expect the INT numbers to change a whole lot.

3. Josh Nesbitt, GT -At the beginning of the 2008 season, Nesbitt got by on his athleticism. By the end of the year, however, he really began to master the offense to the tune of over 800 rushing yards as a team in Tech’s final two regular season games. Nesbitt will not be asked to throw much but will need to improve on a 43.9 completion percentage. Josh Nesbitt is a threat to run every down but can air it if needed, which makes the defense really have to strategize around him.

4. Tyrod Taylor, VT- Tyrod Taylor is one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the ACC. He threw for over 1,000 yards and ran for over 700. Over the last couple of years, Taylor split time with Sean Glennon at quarterback, but now he’s the full-time starter and I expect him to take some giant strides this season- if he can stay healthy. The receivers should be better as well, which means that Taylor is not going to force himself to run every play due to lack of trust. Watch for Taylor’s numbers to jump up enough to be mentioned a couple times by the Game Day crew on Saturday mornings.

T.J. Yates (courtesy ISM.com)

5. T.J. Yates, UNC – T.J Yates missed five games last season, but in games he played he had a 153.6 passer efficiency rating with a total 1,136 yards with 11 TDs and only 4 INT. Yates had a setback during the spring due to a freak Frisbee, yes Frisbee, accident but has since recovered and has been showing leadership during the summer. The real question mark is going to be on how a new group of receivers work out for him.

6. Thaddeus Lewis, Duke – Thaddeus Lewis would be a household name if he played at any other school. Lewis has experience as he’s started 34 games. Last season Lewis threw for 2,171 yards 15 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He ranked fifth in the ACC quarterback efficiency. The only reason why I do not have him ranked higher is because his main target last year, Eron Riley, has gone to the NFL. He’ll have to rely on a couple of younger guys to catch the ball.

7. Riley Skinner, WF – Skinner is one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC. In 2007, he led the nation in completion percentage, and during his career has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes. Skinner is not overly athletic, but a good decision-maker in Jim Grobe’s offense, and was part of a 2007 Deacon squad that won the ACC. The reason why I have him ranked this low is because even with all of the offensive weapons he had last year, he still only managed 13 Touchdowns. He is going to be working with far less on the receiving end so I would expect the numbers to take a little bit of a dive, especially with the emphasis that Jim Grobe is going to be putting on running the ball this year.

8. Jacory Harris, Miami – In a mistake by the Miami staff in my opinion, Harris split time with former Miami player Robert Marve last year. Harris was inconsistent, but he has that something extra which makes me believe he could be a breakout player in 2009. Harris led late comebacks victories over Virginia and Duke last year. His running ability makes him a home run threat at any time. Because of his lack of playing time, and a having to learn a new offense under new Offensive Coordinator Mark Whipple, I think Harris will end up mid-pack in the ACC quarterback race- but watch out for next year.

QB Chris Turner (courtesy ISM.com)

9. Chris Turner, Maryland – Terrapins have experience coming back in quarterback Chris Turner. Turner has started three straight seasons for the Terps. Last year he passed for 2,516 yards and 13 touchdowns, but he also had 11 interceptions. Turner doesn’t wow you with his talent, but his is a very effective quarterback. His top targets; Darrius Heyward Bey, Danny Oquendo, and TE Dan Gronkowski, have all gone to the NFL so he is forced to start with some serious inexperience.

10. Kyle Parker, Clemson – This is pure speculation on my part as really no one knows who is going to be the top QB at Clemson. It could be Parker or Willie Korn. Korn has been on campus since 2007 and played a little last year throwing for 216 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He hasn’t done anything to distinguish himself yet. Parker looked more comfortable in the pocket and made better reads during the spring. Korn was good, but wasn’t anything special. Whoever it ends up being, is going to struggle early on and I have a sneaking suspicion that we’ll end up seeing a 2 QB system since Korn is a better rusher, but Parker is better thrower. Can someone say Wildcat?

11. David Shinskie, BC – Not sure what I can say about the 25 year old QB. I can’t knock his age as Florida State won a National Title with a 27 year old QB. I just don’t know enough about him or what he can do to rank him anywhere decent yet. He is being kept a secret by coach Spaziani, maybe to surprise us all on their first game of the season.

12. Vic Hall, Virginia – Like Clemson, this is pure speculation on my part. The fact is; it’s really going to be a hard core competition during fall conditioning between Hall, Jameel Sewell, and Marc Verica. Regardless of who it ends up being, this is a bad position for any of them as they have a new Offensive Coordinator, lack of experience at wide out, and not much help in the running game. Don’t expect a whole lot from any of these guys and the competition could end up carrying into the season.

Related posts:

1. 2009 Fantasy Rankings – ACC WRs
2. 2009 Fantasy Rankings – ACC Runningbacks
3. ACC Bookends Week 2: The Duke Spirit
4. 2009 ACC ALL-FANTASY TEAM
5. ACC Bookends: Week 3

Tags: ACC