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5 coaches under most pressure during ACC Media Days 2024 ft. Dabo Swinney

The Atlantic Coast Conference is getting ready to take the stage for the 2024 ACC Media Days, taking place from July 22-25 at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown in Charlotte, North Carolina.

With the coaches being available for the first time this college football season, there are varying amounts of pressure they are under as the season is still a bit from getting underway.

Let's take a closer look at some of the ACC coaches who are under the most pressure heading into this season.


ACC coaches under the most pressure

#1 Tony Elliott, Virginia Cavaliers

Tony Elliott has been a coach for the Virginia Cavaliers for a while, but it seems like his time as the coach of the program is coming to an end soon.

Elliott has won just six games over the last two seasons but also has the emotional support of navigating a program after three players were murdered. There likely is a lot of pressure for Elliott to prove he can win some games with the roster he created, and there were some signs of the offense coming around.

#2 Troy Taylor, Stanford Cardinal

This is only his second season with the Stanford Cardinal and his first in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but Troy Taylor needs to show a significant improvement after a terrible year.

The team went 3-9 and lost their Pac-12 Conference games by an average of 31 points, so there are a lot of weaknesses. Taylor is still building his program and getting everything he wants into place, so don't expect a coaching change this season.

#3 Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh Panthers

Pat Narduzzi has been able to showcase 20 wins between the 2021 and 2022 seasons but had a terrible 3-9 season last year, which was the worst in 25 years.

He has shown the inability to do great with his offensive coordinator as well as quarterbacks. So, it will be interesting to see how he does throughout the ACC season, as there's a lot of pressure on his shoulders to improve significantly from last season.

#4 Mack Brown, North Carolina Tar Heels

Mack Brown has been able to showcase his dominance over the course of his lengthy career. However, he has gone 6-7 in November over his last three seasons and winless in bowl games.

Their defense needs to improve, as they went through the collegiate careers of Sam Howell and Drake Maye. There was a coordinator change, but that still puts a lot of pressure on Brown's shoulders.

#5 Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers

Dabo Swinney has been an incredible coach with a pair of national championships.

However, he struggled a bit, as last season was his worst, as the team went .500 in ACC action. It's not like he's going to be on the hot seat or anything, but it will be intriguing to see how he looks with a chip on his shoulder.

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