Turnover at quarterback has become the defining ACC story heading into Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Eleven league programs went into the transfer portal looking for a new answer under center. Only SMU, Pittsburgh, NC State, California and Syracuse are bringing back the same starter, while Clemson made its move from within by promoting Christopher Vizzina.
A handful of the league’s quarterbacks have already taken the field once this season, and most came away with something to build on. Billy Edwards at North Carolina, Beau Pribula at Virginia, CJ Bailey at NC State, Ashton Daniels at Florida State and Davis Warren at Stanford all played in Week 0. Pribula was productive both on the ground and through the air against NC State, Warren helped Stanford steal momentum with a 60-yard go-ahead touchdown drive in a win over Hawaii, and Bailey had the toughest night of the group, finishing 12 of 23 for 84 yards with an interception in the loss to Virginia.
With that in mind, here are the eight best quarterbacks in the ACC entering Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Kevin Jennings sits near the top because he’s already proven himself in SMU’s offense and is now entering his third season as the Mustangs’ starter. He’s fewer than 1,500 passing yards away from passing Ben Hicks for the most in program history, and he gets a favorable opening stage on Monday night when SMU travels to Florida State.
The Seminoles’ secondary looked shaky against New Mexico State in Week 0, which gives Jennings a real chance to start fast in a standalone matchup at 7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
Miller Moss also brings a track record, and Louisville is asking him to guide a fourth different Cardinals starter in four years. Jeff Brohm has already shown he can win with change at the position, leading Louisville to nine or more wins in each of his previous three seasons while rotating through three different quarterbacks.
Moss, though, is the first of those starters without prior starting experience, after spending his college career backing up a trio of quarterbacks at Ohio State. His first test is a harsh one: Ole Miss in Nashville on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
EDT on ABC, against a defense that combines a stout front with a portal-built secondary and linebacking corps.
Grunkenmeyer’s path to the lineup was rough, but he finished his introduction strong. He took over for an injured Drew Allar in his first start right after Penn State parted ways with James Franklin, and the Nittany Lions dropped their first three games to open the second half of the season.
Then Grunkenmeyer steadied things, winning each of his final four starts. Virginia Tech opens the Franklin era against VMI at 7:30 p.m.
EDT on the ACC Network, and the Hokies won’t see another Power Four opponent until a Sept. 19 trip to Maryland, giving Grunkenmeyer some room to settle in.
At Syracuse, Fran Brown has consistently tried to put his quarterbacks in manageable spots, and Angeli enters 2026 with that kind of runway again. Before his Achilles tear, he was on pace for more than 3,000 passing yards and close to 30 touchdowns in 2025. The Orange opens against New Hampshire at noon EDT on the ACC Network, a Week 1 setup that should give Angeli a clean chance to shake off rust before conference play begins in Week 2.
Beau Pribula flashed why Virginia trusted him in its run-heavy offense. In the Cavaliers’ dominant win over NC State, he rushed for 110 yards and handled the game comfortably, though the bigger question still hangs there: can he make the decisive throw when the moment demands it?
Virginia never needed him to force the issue against the Wolfpack, even if he did air it out a few times. The Cavaliers have Week 1 off after their Week 0 game, then get Norfolk State in Week 2, leaving a two-week stretch before they see another Power Four defense.
At Pittsburgh, Heintschel earned the job over current Virginia backup Eli Holstein five games into the 2025 season, and he backed up that decision with a strong freshman year. He went 6-3 as a starter, throwing for 2,354 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Panthers are giving him a new cast of receivers, but they do bring back running back Ja’Kyrian Turner and four starting offensive linemen. Their opener against Miami (OH) at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
EDT on CW is a modest challenge, even if the RedHawks arrive after a MAC Championship appearance and still have enough defensive experience to make things interesting.
At California, Sagapolutele stayed put through the coaching change from Justin Wilcox to Tosh Lupoi, and that matters. The freshman was excellent in 2025, throwing for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns, and now he gets another chance to push for a sophomore leap.
The Golden Bears host a retooled UCLA team on Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN in a game that features two quarterbacks with serious upside.
The list rounds out with a quarterback who may be the most celebrated of the bunch in his own building. Jennings has a recovery center at SMU named in his honor while still playing for the Mustangs, and he’s a key reason they enter the season with real confidence at the position. His matchup with Florida State is one of the weekend’s cleanest chances for a top ACC quarterback to make a statement early.
Miami’s Mensah also belongs in that upper tier after arriving with a lot of buzz. He was long touted as the ACC’s top quarterback after committing to Miami in January, and he comes off leading Duke to an ACC Championship victory last season.
Now he steps into an offense with significantly stronger weapons, starting Friday night at Stanford at 9 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
Stanford’s defense ultimately held on in its Week 0 win over Hawaii, but it also let Micah Alejado push the Rainbow Warriors into a fourth-quarter lead before the Cardinal offense had to rally late.
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