There are two schools of thought on the transfer portal in the ACC.

There’s the Dabo Swinney model at Clemson, where Swinney recruits at an elite level and trusts young players to mature and grow within the program, rarely looking for help from more veteran, ready to play transfers.

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Mike Norvell’s FSU, which built a 13-1 ACC champion overwhelmingly led by transfers, including All-American quarterback Jordan Travis, who became the face of Noles football after arriving in Tallahassee from Louisville.

Who is right? At ACC Media Days, Swinney insisted he isn’t “anti-portal,” instead maintaining that Clemson simply recruits well and gives players a chance to play early, a culture that helps keeps talent in Tigertown. Meanwhile, Norvell noted that he has recruited quite well in the past 18 months, pointing to a top-15 recruiting class for Florida State in 2024 and a top-20 class in 2023.

“We recruit hard, both at the high school level and through the transfer portal,” Norvell told SDS in Charlotte. “If you aren’t recruiting hard at the high school level and in the portal, you open yourself up to missing on the type of players who can come in and immediately impact your program.”

The bulk of the ACC has trended towards the Norvell model. Florida State signed the ACC’s best portal class (7th in the 247 Composite rankings), but 4 other programs joined the Seminoles in the top 20, including Miami, which finished 10th.

The mass influx of talent should help Florida State reload after last season’s 13-0 regular season. It should also help multiple ACC programs push for College Football Playoff berths as the tournament expands to 12 teams.

Here’s the SDS ranking of the 25 best transfers joining ACC programs for the 2024 season.

25. Maalik Murphy, QB (Duke)

The Blue Devils begin life without Riley Leonard with a former can’t-miss prospect under center in Murphy. A top-10 quarterback prospect in the class of 2022, Murphy chose Texas over Alabama, and he played a bit in 2023, throwing for 477 yards and 3 touchdowns for the playoff-bound Longhorns. Stuck behind Quinn Ewers and battling some kid named Manning for QB 2 duties, Murphy opted to hit the portal, joining Duke and first-year head coach Manny Diaz this spring. If he holds off Grayson Loftis for the starting job, the upside is massive for the 6-6, 240-pound kid with a rocket arm.

24. Richie Leonard, OL (Florida State)

Leonard joins the Seminoles after multiple seasons as a SEC starter at rival Florida. Norvell raved about Leonard’s work ethic at ACC Media Days and believes the senior helps give FSU a chance to have their best offensive line in his time in Tallahassee. Leonard graded out No. 2 among Florida’s starting offensive lineman a season ago, and is especially strong in pass protection, a huge liability for Florida State a season ago.

23. Noah Rogers, WR (NC State)

The No. 1 recruit in North Carolina in 2023, Rogers redshirted at Ohio State a season ago, stuck in a crowded depth chart for a team that had Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Fleming. Rogers hit the portal when it became evident the Buckeyes would reel in Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s top wideout, in December. Rogers will have a chance to play immediately back home in Raleigh, where SDS expects he’ll show the type of speed and hands that made him a top-100 recruit out of high school.

22. Jake Johnson, TE (UNC)

Just a sophomore, Johnson joins big brother Max in Chapel Hill where he’ll help add a pass game weapon to an offense that returns All-American running back Omarion Hampton. Johnson is big and physical with soft hands and plenty of experience despite his youth, having hauled in 24 passes and 4 touchdowns for Texas A&M in 2023.

21. Mikey Matthews, WR (Cal)

The Utah transfer earned All-Pac-12 freshman honors a season ago with 29 receptions and 261 yards receiving for the Utes while doubling as one of the better return guys in the conference, compiling 384 yards on 32 returns. A rare freshman starter at a terrific program, Matthews should catch 50 passes and factor into the return game in his first year in Berkeley.

20. Jahsiah Galvan, LB (Stanford)

Galvan was a Freshman All-American at Northern Iowa, where he led the team with 77 tackles a season ago, including 33 solo. Galvan’s 5.5 tackles for loss ranked No. 2 among Missouri Valley linebackers as well, and he added an interception, demonstrating sideline to sideline, three down capability. Galvan should start immediately for Bobby April, who loves the young man’s grit and physicality.

19. Jordan van den Berg, DT (Georgia Tech)

An All-State linebacker and weightlifting champion in high school, van den Berg was a junior college All-American before playing at Penn State for 3 seasons, where he appeared in 24 games. A powerful run-stopper, he’ll add teeth and physicality at the point of attack to Brent Key’s defense, which struggled mightily against the run and on third down last season.

18. Roydell Williams, RB (Florida State)

Williams brings over 1,000 yards of experience to Tallahassee from Tuscaloosa, giving the Noles the type of power back they just when Trey Benson took his talents to the NFL this past spring. Williams was instrumental in Alabama’s SEC Championship win over Georgia, rushing for 65 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Now playing his final season of college football, Williams should build on a career best 560 yard junior campaign at Alabama.

17. Savion Byrd, Jr., OL (SMU)

The Mustangs snagged Byrd Jr., a former top-100 recruit, from Oklahoma, where he played in 19 games for the Sooners, starting 5 in 2023. A powerful pass blocker with great lateral quickness, Byrd Jr. projects as a future top 3 round NFL Draft pick. He’ll have multiple seasons of eligibility to prove it for Rhett Lashlee in Dallas.

16. Romello Height, Edge (Georgia Tech)

Height returns home to the state of Georgia after spending the bulk of his career at Southern Cal and Auburn. Injuries limited his effectiveness at Auburn, but he had 4 sacks and 11 pressures a season ago for the Trojans, finally displaying the first step burst and athleticism that made him a four-star recruit and one of the nation’s top 25 linebackers as a high school recruit. The lone question that lingers is how well he can fit run gaps — the Jackets ranked last in the ACC a season ago in run defense, which isn’t Height’s forte.

15. Treshaun Ward, RB (Boston College)

Treshaun Ward brings over 1,500 rushing yards to Chestnut Hill from Kansas State, where he was a consistently electric change of pace weapon for the Wildcats a season ago. Ward is no stranger to the ACC, of course, having played 3 seasons at Florida State before his 1 year cameo in the Little Apple. Ward is a terrific return man in addition to being a quality runner and pass catcher, giving Bill O’Brien the type of all-purpose weapon that was in short supply for the Eagles in 2023.

14. Ja’Corey Brooks, WR (Louisville)

Brooks caught 8 touchdown passes for Alabama in 2022 but struggled and fell out of favor for Nick Saban’s final Crimson Tide team in 2023, recording just 3 receptions on the season. Healthy again and playing outside the Alabama microscope, Brooks has a chance to put up monster numbers and live up to the hype that made him a 5-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class.

13. Chris Tyree, Athlete (Virginia)

Tyree brings over 2,500 yards of total production (rushing, receiving, kick and punt returns) to Charlottesville from Notre Dame, where he scored 17 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish.

Tyree’s NFL future likely lies as a returner, but Tony Elliott, who thrived at finding ways to get speedy players into space at Clemson, finally has the type of talent he’s lacked in his previous 2 seasons at Virginia. An All-American ceiling has always lurked below the surface with Tyree — can he find it now that he’s the showcase piece of an offense?

12. Max Johnson, QB (North Carolina)

Johnson brings multiple seasons of SEC starting or backup experience to Chapel Hill, where he’ll look to fill the shoes left behind by first-round draft pick Drake Maye. Two questions linger with Johnson, whose upside is higher than spot 12 on this list. First, can he stay healthy? He’s tough, as his performance through cracked ribs last year vs. Ole Miss demonstrated yet again. But he’s missed time in his career with rib injuries, knee injuries and a broken hand. A clean bill of health would help. Second, can he limit turnovers?

The Max Johnson who shined at LSU in 2021, throwing for 2,815 yards and 27 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions, showed the college football worlds just what a healthy Johnson surrounded by weapons is capable of doing. Will that version, supported by an All-American running back, stay on the field in Chapel Hill?

11. Sam Brown, WR (Miami)

After catching over 100 passes at Houston over the past 2 seasons, Brown entered the portal as a gem. He chose the Hurricanes over Alabama. Brown only caught 3 touchdown passes for the Cougars a season ago, but don’t let that fool you. The 6-2 playmaker finished in the top 10 in the country in explosive receptions with 33 catches of 10 or more yards and 12 of 20 or more, per PFF. Brown reunites with Shannon Dawson, who coached him at  Houston, and should be even more productive playing alongside Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George in Coral Gables.

10. Marcus Harris, CB (Cal)

Harris was a 3-year starter at Idaho where he earned First-Team FCS All-American honors in 2023 with 51 tackles, a career-high 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3 interceptions. He also graded out as the best FCS corner in 1-on-1 coverage, per PFF, bringing much needed help to a Bears defense that ranked 128th in the country against the pass in 2023. Harris has 35 career pass breakups, and allowed just 35% of 1-on-1 targets against to be completed a season ago. He instantly becomes one of the ACC’s best cover guys.

9. Caullin Lacy, WR (Louisville)

Lacy was a production machine at South Alabama last season, where he caught 91 passes for 1,316 yards and 7 touchdowns en route to First-Team All-Sun Belt honors. Lacy will give transfer quarterback Tyler Shough a surefire possession guy to complement one of the ACC’s best pass production units featuring fellow transfers Ja’Corey Brooks (Alabama) and Mark Redman (San Diego State). With over 2,000 yards receiving over the past 2 seasons, All-ACC honors are in reach for Lacy.

8. Tyler Baron, Edge (Miami)

The Hurricanes struck portal gold with Baron, a dynamic pass rusher with good size who can line up inside or play outside and drop into coverage. Baron collected 13.5 sacks in 4 seasons at Tennessee, including 6 a season ago, when he was a Midseason All-American, per PFF. His production slowed down the stretch, forcing him to return for a 5th season of college football. He’ll now be another cog in a dominant pass rush for a Hurricanes defense that ranked 19th nationally in sacks a season ago and returns 120 career starts on the defensive line.

7. Marvin Jones Jr., Edge (Florida State)

No player in the portal, in my view, had a higher ceiling than Marvin Jones Jr., who transfers from Georgia to Florida State, where he’ll don the garnet and gold just as his dad, All-Pro and Consensus All-American Marvin Jones did. Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Jermaine Johnson were all players with big upsides who blossomed into All-ACC performers and top-50 draft picks once they arrived in Tallahassee. The No. 1 edge player in the country out of South Florida prep power American Heritage, Jones “only” registered 6 tackles for loss and 2 sacks in 2 seasons for Kirby Smart in Athens. But the physical tools are all off the charts, and history suggests Adam Fuller and Randy Shannon will get the most out of the prodigious skill set.

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6. DJ Uiagalelei, QB (Florida State)

Already an ACC champion (at Clemson), Uiagalelei returns to the conference after a productive season at Oregon State, where he threw for 2,648 yards and 21 touchdowns and finished with the best success rate of his career on intermediate (10-to-20 yard) throws and explosive throws, two pieces of his game often lacking at Clemson. Those improved numbers help explain his career low in completion percentage (57%), the lone red flag from his time with the Beavers. Mike Norvell has, of course, worked wonders with transfers, and Uiagalelei, still an otherworldly talent from a physical standpoint, could be the latest portal success story.

5. Kyle McCord, QB (Syracuse)

Is this too low for a quarterback who nearly led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff? Perhaps. After all, McCord did throw for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions as the starter for Ohio State last season. The question, naturally, is how he adjusts with less talent around him. Will he thrive away from the pressure cooker associated with replacing CJ Stroud, who replaced Justin Fields? Or will he wither without one of the nation’s best wide receiver corps to make his bread and butter — short throws — look astoundingly efficient. We will know soon enough, but McCord, a consensus top-50 recruit, may be the player with the most to prove in the ACC in 2024.

4. Cam Ward, QB (Miami)

Ward topped 3,000 yards in each of the past 3 seasons, including 2 seasons at Washington State. Ward threw 25 touchdowns passes a season ago for the Cougars, leading the Pac-12 in success rate on intermediate throws of 10-to-20 yards (57%). Ward’s elusiveness and quick release in the pocket make him a fascinating NFL prospect. He could hear his name called quite early next spring if he can learn to cut down on the mistakes that plagued the final half of his 2023 season, when he threw 7 interceptions over the final 7 games of the season.

3. Thor Griffith, DT (Louisville)

A 3-time All-Ivy league selection and a FCS All-American, Griffith grabbed a degree from Harvard and transferred to Louisville, where he’ll look to impress NFL scouts who were salivating to see him play a higher level of competition. In three seasons with the Crimson, Griffith tallied 13.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss despite facing consistent double-teams throughout Ivy League play. At 6-2, 320 pounds, Griffith’s low center of gravity makes him a bear to block in run situations, and he graded out as the best interior linemen in the FCS against the run in 2023. Already projected as a middle round draft pick, Griffith chose Louisville over Ohio State because he believed in the plan the coaching staff laid out for him to improve that draft status.

2. Damien Martinez, RB (Miami)

Martinez rushed for 1,185 yards at a 6.1 yard per carry clip for Oregon State a season ago, earning First-Team All-Pac-12 honors and leading the league in rushing success rate (59.5%). Martinez has excellent vision and is powerful when he reaches the second level, just as capable of engaging a linebacker as he is juking one.

With over 2,000 yards rushing in his first 2 collegiate seasons, Martinez will key a Canes offense that returns a formidable 121 career starts up front, giving Cristobal, a former offensive lineman, his first trustworthy run blocking group up front. That all spells “Look Out” for ACC opponents.

1. Grayson McCall, QB (NC State)

McCall brings over 10,000 yards of passing production to Raleigh from Coastal Carolina, where he gained program legend status with over 30 wins as the starting quarterback. McCall can make any throw, in any window.

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He plays with tenacity and toughness, a perfect fit for the lunch pail culture Dave Doeren has instilled in Raleigh. He’s also exceptionally good at taking care of the football. From 2020-22, he threw for at least 2,400 yards each season with 24 touchdowns and 3 interceptions or less in each campaign. Put plainly, McCall is one of the best quarterbacks in the sport. If he can rebound from a brutal 2023, injury, NC State will compete for the ACC Championship.