3 ACC QBs who turned out to be busts in 2024 season ft. D.J. Uiagalelei
The ACC was the last of the former Power Five conferences to feel the effects of conference realignment. The California Golden Bears, SMU Mustangs and Stanford Cardinal joined the conference in the offseason. Apart from realignment, the new college football landscape has made player movement far more common.
With the ACC now having 17 teams, there were several quarterbacks who underperformed in 2024. Take a look at three quarterbacks from the conference, all of whom are in new destinations, who turned out to be busts this season.
Three ACC QBs who turned out to be busts in 2024 season
#1 D.J. Uiagalelei
Uiagalelei initially joined the Clemson Tigers as a five-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. After three seasons, he joined the Oregon State Beavers via the transfer portal ahead of last season.
He lasted just one year as the effects of conference realignment - and subsequent departure of Oregon State's coach - led him to join the Florida State Seminoles via the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 season.
Uiagalelei and the Seminoles haven't lived up to their top-10 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. He appeared in just five games before injuries derailed his season, throwing for 1,065 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions while completing just 53.8% of his passes. Florida State went 1-4 in those games and are 1-9 this season.
#2 Kyle McCord
McCord initially joined the Ohio State Buckeyes as a four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He took over as the starting quarterback last season before joining the Syracuse Oranga via the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 season.
He has thrown for 3,476 yards, 24 touchdowns and an ACC-leading 12 interceptions, completing 64.0% of his passes. The number of interceptions he has thrown has doubled from last season.
#3 Grayson McCall
Grayson McCall initially joined the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers as a two-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting class. He became the starting quarterback in 2020 and spent five seasons with the program before joining the NC State Wolfpack via the transfer portal ahead of this season.
He appeared in just four games, throwing for 518 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 66.3% of his passes. While he was forced to retire due to injuries, the Wolfpack had much higher expectations for the 2024 season.