Teams will be listed by highest rank nationally (in terms of their recruiting class) with their national rank in parentheses.
1. Florida State (18)
Top signees: 5* MLB Jeff Luc and 5* CB Lamarcus Joyner
Outlook: Jimbo Fisher is now the head coach at FSU and right after he was introduced the two players listed above committed. FSU recruiting will always be strong but it looks as though FSU could be moving back towards the elite top 10 status with a younger, energized coaching staff.
2. Miami (19)
Top Signees: 4* C Brandon Linder and 4* RB Eduardo Clements
Outlook: Miami continues to re-build a solid program under Randy Shannon. C Brandon Linder is the number one ranked C in the country. Miami is still recruiting a couple of kids that if they are able to land could push them into the top 15.
3. Clemson (24)
Top Signees: 4* CB DeAndre Hopkins and 4* DE Corey Crawford
Outlook: Clemson has another top 25 haul. While they have not landed a couple of the top 30 players nationally like they did under Tommy Bowden, the overall class looks very solid and should allow the Tigers to continue to compete for the ACC crown.
4. North Carolina (29)
Top Signees: 5* T James Hurst and 4* RB Gio Bernard
Outlook: UNC continues their great recruiting (esp. when compared to the previous decade) under Butch Davis. They are going for a ton of top talent, and while striking out some, are getting their few and it is starting to show in on-field talent and results.
5. Virginia Tech (30)
Top Signees: 4* DE Zack McCray and 4* G Lawrence Gibson
Outlook: VT, under Beamer, doesn't always sign 5 star guys but they definitely get good players and do an unbelievable job of developing them. A top 30 class is really good for VT and leads me to believe that they will continue to be a frontrunner in the ACC.
6. North Carolina State (36)
Top Signees: 5* T Rob Crisp and 4* DT Fre'Shad Hunter
Outlook: NC State probably hasn't had the total on-field results they had hoped when they hired Tom O'Brien three years ago. This class is really good for the Pack and should be one that will continue to help O'Brien build. They won't win only 5-6 games a year under O'Brien forever.
7. Maryland (39)
Top Signees: 4* OLB Javarie Johnson and 4* QB Tyler Smith
Outlook: Maryland has struggled mightily the past couple of years when compared to the beginning of Friedgen's tenure. This class has a couple of good players and is a top 40 class nationally and could help Friedgen turn it around in College Park if he has the time.
8. Boston College (40)
Top Signees: 4* OLB Steele Divitto and 4* T Seth Betancourt
Outlook: Boston College has been really unsettled at the head coaching position the past 5 years but this class, considering that, is not bad at all. A top 40 class will allow BC to have enough talent to compete with every team on their schedule and to see if Spaziani has what it takes to continue to sustain and perhaps grow the Eagle program.
9. Georgia Tech (45)
Top Signees: 4* CB Ryan Ayers and 4* DT Shawn Green
Outlook: Georgia Tech won the ACC title last year but that was mostly with Chan Gailey's recruits. Johnson did a remarkable job of taking players recruited for another system and taking them to an ACC title. Georgia Tech's class is solid but not spectacular. The hardest part for the rest of the conference is that the system is so hard to stop that it might not matter if they don't get elite talent (at least not until their bowl game).
10. Wake Forest (58)
Top Signees: 3* C Daniel Blitch and 3* G Antonio Ford
Outlook: Wake has never recruited "elite" talent under Grobe. However, they win a lot of games (more than any other era in Wake history). This tells me that Grobe probably does the best job in the conference (along with Beamer) of scouting talent and developing it. Wake will win as long as Grobe is in Winston Salem.
11. Duke (70)
Top Signees: 3* G Laken Tomlinson and 3* RB Juwan Thompson
Outlook: Duke has continued to improve vastly on the field under head coach David Cutcliffe. Recruiting was also much better the first couple of years. This class, by all accounts, has been a disappointment. Duke has lost some guys previously committed to other schools and missed on many of their bigger recruits. Duke is still signing much more speed than in previous years but this class hasn't been their best.
12. Virginia (73)
Top Signees: 3* MLB Henry Coley and 3* T Conner Davis
Outlook: Virginia football has really fallen the past few years. Groh hasn't been recruiting as well (besides the O-line) and a coaching change was made in the offseason. New coach Mike London had no time to save this class so next year will be the first to judge his recruiting ability. Virginia will likely struggle at times next year and maybe the year after. After that it is unsure.
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