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...
Wake Forest Fans Finally Get A First Look At This New Roster
Wake Forest fans will get their first chance to see the new mens basketball roster in action on Sunday, when the Demon Deacons host Georgetown in an exhibition game at LJVM Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m., and the afternoon is being set up as an easy entry point for supporters to get a look at the team before the games begin to matter.
The exhibition will not count toward official records, but it does bring a little extra intrigue to the building since the two programs have not met since 1997. Tickets are priced at $10 for general admission, children 12 and under are free with a family-friendly plan in place, and it should give Wake Forest an early read on what this group looks like in a game setting. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Saw Why Wake Forest Looks Like A Real ACC Threat
Wake Forest went on the road and left with a win over one of the ACCs better teams, and the biggest reason was the way Gio Lopez handled the moment. The quarterback helped set the tone by getting the run game going early, then kept Louisville from settling in by reading coverages cleanly and delivering accurate throws when the pocket tightened.
Lopezs performance gave the Demon Deacons a reminder that they can travel and still look composed against quality conference opposition, which is usually the first real test of whether a team belongs in the ACC conversation. Stanford is next on the schedule, and Wake Forest will be looking for Lopez to keep that same rhythm as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Let Another Winnable ACC Game Slip Away Late
Wake Forest walked away from Louisville with another ACC win in hand after a tense 30-27 finish that swung on the kind of late-game execution the Demon Deacons have been building toward. Ty Clark III powered the offense with two rushing touchdowns, Carlos Hernandez stretched the field for 194 receiving yards and a score, and the defense delivered when it mattered most with a blocked field goal by Gabe Kirschke to seal it.
The result pushed Wake Forest to 3-1 and gave the program a confidence-building road victory in a conference game that stayed tight throughout. It was the kind of performance that showed both sides of the ball can carry the load, and for a team trying to establish itself early in the season, getting a win like this can matter as much for momentum as for the standings. [Read more 🡒]