ACC Quarterback Tiers: Where CJ Bailey Stands Entering 2025

It will be under two weeks until NC State kicks off its season against East Carolina at home. There is much anticipation of seeing how CJ Bailey will do in his sophomore season and how he'll compare to the other signal callers in the ACC.

The ranking will be done in a tier system, as some teams have some guys who haven't fully proven themselves yet, or haven't been the starter for a full season.

Tier 1

Cade Klubnik, Clemson

Analysis: It may be surprising that Klubnik is in a tier of his own, but it shouldn't be. His 2024 tape was impressive, and it was under the radar. He's 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, and threw for 36 touchdowns with six picks in 2024.

Klubnik has a fast processing speed, knows when he has 1-on-1 coverage on some concepts, and isn't scared to give his receivers some chances. Clemson returns a strong receiver core this season, and there's no doubt Klubnik can have an even stronger year this upcoming season.

Tier 2

Carson Beck, Miami
Darian Mensah, Duke
Kevin Jennings, SMU

Analysis: Beck made headlines with his decision to transfer to the ACC, specifically the Hurricanes. He fell short in his time at Georgia and never seemed to develop quite as some would've hoped. Still in the ACC, he's easily up there with the top quarterbacks in the conference, just Klubnik has shown more pro traits than Beck.

Jennings is a typical dual-threat quarterback who had an amazing first year at the helm of the SMU offense. Most will remember the three interceptions he threw in the College Football Playoffs, but he's the main reason they were there in the first place. In 2025, he can improve his processing speed as a passer.

Mensah may be a little high for some, but he impressed in his true freshman season at Tulane. He put up 2,723 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and six picks. Duke reportedly offered him a $4 million-per-year NIL deal, but regardless, the Blue Devil hype is real with Mensah as the signal caller.

Tier 3

Haynes King, Georgia Tech
Miller Moss, Louisville
CJ Bailey, NC State

All three quarterbacks hope to be the spark for their offenses. Bailey impressed in his true freshman season with the Wolfpack, tossing 24 touchdowns and adding 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason. He could easily jump up to the second tier with a strong 2025.

Haynes is in his sixth year in college football, so it was hard to put him above tier 3, but he's impressed in his years as a Yellow Jacket. Last season, he completed 72.9% of his passes with only two interceptions. We already know what he can do with his legs, so his development as a passer is key.

Moss transferred in from USC and left one offensive mind for another. Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm hopes he can help Moss take another step in his game and find the consistency he lacked as a Trojan. If Moss takes the step, the Cardinals have a shot to be one of the best offenses in the ACC.

Tier 4

Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh
Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech
Chandler Morris, Virginia
Tommy Castellanos, Florida State

Holstein was close to being ranked in tier three of this list. He started last season well, but seemingly fell off as the weeks passed. With a bit more processing development, Holstein can be one of the ACC's better signal callers.

Drones have all the makings to have a bounce-back year in 2025. There was a lot of hype entering 2024, but none of it came to fruition, and Hokies fans hoped he could return to the form he possessed in 2023, with 17 passing touchdowns and 818 rushing yards.

Morris is in his sixth college football season, but dominated with the Mean Green a season ago. He passed for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns. He returns to a Power Four school and hopes to succeed at this level with the Cavaliers.

Castellanos is in a similar boat to Moss, who is in a tier above. He's betting on a new system to help him flourish as a signal caller with the Seminoles. Things didn't work out at Boston College, but hopefully, another ACC team can bring success.

Tier 5

Elijah Brown, Staford
Dylan Lonergan, Boston College

Brown went through many mid-season changes a season ago, but he's still presumed to be the starting quarterback. He appeared in three games last season and didn't impress much in his first year, but he hopes year two has more ups than downs.

Lonergan won the starting quarterback battle over Grayson Games at Boston College. Head coach Bill O'Brien decided to take a chance with the former four-star recruit who transferred in from Alabama.

Tier 6

Steve Angelo or Rickie Collins, Syracuse
Gio Lopez or Max Johnson, North Carolina
Devin Brown or Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California
Deshawn Purdie or Robby Ashford, Wake Forest

The last tier is the programs that haven't made a decision yet. It's not unheard of to have a presumed starter yet; programs like Notre Dame and Ohio State are still trying to figure out who their respective signal callers will be.

It seems unfair to rank without knowing who the starter will be.

Still, plenty of quarterback talent within the ACC should make for some fun battles throughout the college football season.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.