ACC Preseason Football Kickoff Will Be Held Virtually

Annual event originally slated for Charlotte Westin hotel

The ACC’s annual Football Kickoff is the latest event to fall prey to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally scheduled to be held in late July at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Kickoff will now be conducted virtually July 21 to 23.

Traditionally, each team sends a coach and two players—one offensive, one defensive—to meet with the media in the preseason gathering.

All 14 head coaches and a selection of players from each team will still be available to meet with the media in an online format. Commissioner John Swofford, who traditionally kicks off the event with a press conference, will also be made available.

“As we continue to navigate the necessary steps surrounding COVID-19, transitioning this year’s ACC Football Kickoff from an in-person event to a virtual experience is the best option to provide media access to our coaches and student-athletes,” said Swofford. “Our primary focus in all decisions continues to be the health and welfare of our student-athletes, coaches, and in this specific instance, all of our media partners and event attendees.”

The conference traditionally holds its preseason media poll and All-ACC voting at the event. In recent years, voting has been done through a smart phone app, so the voting shouldn’t be significantly impacted by the change to an all-virtual event.

The move is in keeping with the decisions made by other power conferences to hold their annual preseason events virtually instead of in person.

The conference welcomes two new head coaches—Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Boston College’s Jeff Hafley. The duo will need to wait at least a year to experience the full-blown preseason event.