ACC Media Days: 5 Storylines to Watch
With college football season just around the corner, coaches, players, and administrators across the Atlantic Coast Conference will convene in Charlotte this week. From Tuesday through Thursday, the ACC will host its 2025 media days at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown in Charlotte, N.C., where coaches and commissioner Jim Phillips will discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the conference.
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee and a handful of Mustang players — quarterback Kevin Jennings, safety Isaiah Nwokobia, offensive lineman Logan Parr, and linebacker Alex Kilgore — will be in attendance as well.
Here are five storylines to watch for ahead of this week’s press conferences:
Sports Roundup
Big Year 2 ahead for SMU
SMU was the biggest surprise of the conference in its first year in 2024, reaching the ACC title game and the College Football Playoff for the first time.
Despite being picked as a middle-of-the-pack team in the preseason projections, the Mustangs rose to the national spotlight behind a dominant defense and quarterback Jennings, who took over as the starter a few games into the season.
With Jennings and a handful of other key contributors back this fall, the Mustangs still have to prove that they were more than a one-hit wonder.
Many questioned whether SMU deserved to be in the College Football Playoff and whether it was challenged sufficiently in its schedule. This season, the Mustangs face a tougher slate with TCU and Baylor in non-conference play, Clemson on the road, and both Miami and Louisville at home.
SMU also has to replace star running back Brashard Smith and most of its front seven on defense. But taking another step in 2025 will be important to solidify its place among college football’s top teams.
All eyes on Bill Belichick
Six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick will make his ACC Media Days debut this week as a first-time college coach just weeks before coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels in their season-opener against TCU.
Many continue to question whether Belichick will have similar success at the college level as he did in the NFL, but he’s made some changes to try to improve a UNC team that finished just 6-7 last season.
With the addition of South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez, eight transfers on the offensive line, and almost an entirely new defense, Belichick has a largely new group to work with.
His coaching abilities will be put to the test in turning his program around, especially as he’s surrounded by rising stars like Lashlee at SMU and college football legends like Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
North Carolina coach Bill Belichick arrives for an NCAA college football press conference, Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Chris Seward / AP)
What coaches, conference will say about House settlement
College athletics have been operating in a very different way for the past few weeks since the approval of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that paved the way for universities to pay their athletes directly for the first time starting July 1.
All athletic programs must now operate under a $20.5 million cap for all sports, changing the way and amount athletes can be paid.
Recruiting will no longer operate as a bidding war, and the constraints of the cap will impact coaches in all conferences.
The hope is that it will offer some guardrails for an NIL system that started to run wild, but it’ll change what players and coaches have become accustomed to for years.
Each school is adjusting differently to the new restrictions, and we should get a better idea of that at ACC Media Days.
Related: How Texas colleges are handling the House settlement, preparing to pay players directly
Conference of quarterbacks?
The ACC dubbed itself the “conference of quarterbacks” last season with faces like Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Florida State’s DJ Uiagalelei, Duke’s Maalik Murphy, and Miami’s Cam Ward as some of the most highly anticipated quarterbacks in the nation entering last season.
The ACC boasted the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft as the Tennessee Titans selected Ward after a historic season leading the Hurricanes.
While some of those faces have departed, the ACC has some new signal callers attracting attention.
Klubnik returns after a breakout year and is expected to build upon his 36-touchdown year in 2024. Miami added former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck through the transfer portal to replace Ward. SMU returns Jennings for his first full season as the starter.
Other teams will have battles for the position or lesser-known names emerge onto the scene.
Changes to championship game format?
Phillips said earlier this year that the conference will have conversations among coaches and athletic directors about whether to change its championship game format.
These discussions follow SMU nearly missing the College Football Playoff after losing its conference championship game to Clemson despite being named the regular-season champion.
The ACC is considering giving its regular-season champion a bye and having the teams that finish second and third compete for the title game.
While the ACC does plan to have a regularly scheduled championship game this December, changes could be coming as the 12-team playoff continues.
Conclusion
The 2025 ACC Media Days will be an exciting event, with many storylines to follow. From SMU’s second year in the conference to Bill Belichick’s debut as a college coach, there will be plenty to discuss. The conference will also address the recent House settlement and its impact on college athletics. With the “conference of quarterbacks” moniker still applicable, the ACC will look to build on its success from last season. Changes to the championship game format could also be on the horizon. Stay tuned for updates from the event.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about the ACC Media Days:
- Q: When and where will the 2025 ACC Media Days take place?
A: The event will take place
