Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s rough September took another hit in Week 4, and the ACC quarterback picture is starting to separate fast.
At California on Friday night, Sagapolutele and Tait Reynolds delivered a sluggish opener to the week. The two combined to go 29-of-50 for 227 yards and three interceptions, and Clemson rode special teams and the run game to a 24-10 win. For Sagapolutele, it was just the latest setback in a difficult start to 2026.
The rest of the weekend looked a whole lot livelier.
Gio Lopez helped Wake Forest spring the upset of the week, leading the Demon Deacons to a 30-27 road win over Lincoln Kienholz and Louisville. Then Davis Warren stole the spotlight in the nightcap, powering Stanford past Georgia Tech 34-27 with a 396-yard, three-touchdown performance that put the Cardinal offense squarely on his shoulders.
That sets up a busy Week 5 slate with several quarterback matchups worth watching. Friday night opens with Mason Heintschel and Ethan Grunkemeyer meeting in Lane Stadium, and both are guiding unbeaten teams. Saturday night’s lone ACC game brings Darian Mensah and Tait Reynolds to Clemson, a matchup of quarterbacks who are trending in opposite directions.
Inside the league, Stanford at Wake Forest and Louisville at NC State stand out as the most intriguing quarterback showdowns on Saturday. Outside ACC play, Billy Edwards gets a chance to rebound against a Notre Dame defense that has been prolific, while Sagapolutele will try to steady himself against Jackson Arnold and UNLV.
Here’s how the top eight ACC quarterbacks stack up heading into Week 5.
Warren has quietly put together a better start than Sagapolutele in the Bay Area. Against Georgia Tech, he threw dimes all afternoon and carried Stanford’s offense to the win. His 396-yard, three-touchdown night was the kind of performance that can carry a team when the game starts to tilt.
Stanford now heads to Wake Forest for a noon kickoff on ACC Network. That trip comes after a run of strong passing performances against the Demon Deacons, with Ryan Browne, Darian Mensah and Lincoln Kienholz all finding success against them.
Lopez was just as sharp in Wake Forest’s upset at Louisville. He finished with 225 passing yards, and 194 of them came through Carlos Hernandez. A big chunk of that production came on deep balls, with 125 yards coming on throws where Lopez found Hernandez well behind the Cardinals’ defense.
The Demon Deacons get Stanford at home in Week 5, and that matchup could again tilt toward the passing game. Opposing quarterbacks have already had success against the Cardinal early in the season, most notably Mensah’s 401-yard outing in Week 1.
Heintschel’s last game was a blowout, but it was also a statement. In Pittsburgh’s 59-point shutout of Bucknell, he finally worked in dry conditions and responded with 403 yards and six touchdown passes. As he did against Miami (OH), plenty of those scores came on high-difficulty throws off script.
Pittsburgh’s next test is a Friday night trip to Virginia Tech for the Panthers’ conference road opener. Heintschel hasn’t been asked to run much in September, but that could matter against a Hokie defense that just allowed Mason McKenzie to run for 138 yards.
Jennings had a messier start against Missouri State when he sailed a pass for a pick six in the first quarter, putting SMU in a 10-point hole. He recovered in a big way, finishing 33-of-39 for 464 yards and three passing touchdowns, plus another score on the ground. The night also showed off how dangerous he is when he’s throwing on the move.
SMU opens ACC home play against Boston College, and Jennings already has some history there. In the Mustangs’ 45-13 win at Boston College in 2025, he completed only 50% of his throws, but he still piled up 326 yards and three touchdowns.
Kienholz was productive in Louisville’s loss to Wake Forest, finishing 27-of-36 for 324 yards with one passing touchdown and two rushing scores. His only real mistake was an interception that bounced into a defensive back’s hands.
Now he heads to NC State for his first ACC road test, though he’s currently listed as “questionable” on the ACC’s availability report.
Mensah kept rolling in Miami’s 52-3 win over Central Michigan, playing three quarters and staying razor sharp. He went 23-of-27 for 338 yards and three touchdowns, pushing his season completion rate to 88.9%.
Clemson is next, and Mensah has already shown he can light up that defense. The last time he faced the Tigers, he threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns.
In Other News...
Stanford Faces A Brutal Road Test At The Worst Time
Stanford heads into Wake Forest still chasing something it has not found away from home in a long time. The Cardinal will try to snap a program-record 12-game road losing streak in an early kickoff that has forced a different kind of preparation this week, while also piecing things together without starting cornerback Brandon Nicholson after a leg injury.
There is at least some momentum to carry, with quarterback Davis Warren providing a steady lift lately and the team coming off recent home success. But the setting is unmistakably tricky for a group already battling a stubborn road trend, and this trip arrives at a time when Stanford could have used a cleaner runway. [Read more 🡒]
Stanford's Reset Feels Real But One Road Problem Still Looms
Stanfords first year under Tavita Pritchard has brought a noticeably different feel, one built on basic competence and a little more resilience. Davis Warren has given the offense steadier quarterback play, Matt Rose has become a reliable presence at linebacker, and Kris Richards defensive tweaks have helped the unit look more organized than it did a year ago. For a program trying to climb out of the flat spots that have defined too much of the recent past, those are meaningful signs.
The problem is that the progress has not fully traveled. Stanford still has to prove it can carry that reset away from home, where the margin for error shrinks and the defense has not always matched its better stretches. With the offense looking more functional and the defense showing flashes, the Cardinal now face the harder question of whether this version can hold up on the road, where consistency has been the missing piece. [Read more 🡒]
Stanford Faces An Early Test After Finally Showing Some Real Life
Wake Forest comes into Family Weekend looking more like a team with some momentum, carrying a 3-1 record after an upset win over Louisville. The Demon Deacons have gotten important production from quarterback Gio Lopez and wide receiver Carlos Hernandez, and that makes them a useful early measuring stick for a Stanford program that is still trying to define what its season can become under Tavita Pritchard, with Andrew Luck helping shape the big-picture direction.
Stanford at least found a little life last week, enough to make this trip feel like more than just another September game. The Cardinal still need to show that the breakthrough was not a one-off, and this matchup offers a cleaner read on whether their recent progress can travel against a team that has already proven it can spring an upset and handle pressure in a meaningful spot. [Read more 🡒]