Around The ACC Atlantic: 2nd Year Players Who Will Breakthrough In 2020
Every year new recruits arrive on campuses around the country with high hopes and dreams of stardom. Fans are ready for them to take college football by storm and the recruits are ready to be the next superstar. Truth is not many true freshmen become impact players in their first season, and need time in the weight room and experience to have an impact. The next year new recruits arrive and last years class is no longer on fans minds. This feature will focus on recruits from the 2019 recruiting class who will breakthrough and make their mark in 2020. Note: All recruiting rankings are referencing the 247 Sports composite.
Boston College
Zay Flowers was a three star recruit in the Eagles 2019 recruiting class. He saw playing time as a freshman last season and was third on the team with 22 catches for 341 yards and 3 TD. The 5’11” 170 lb Flowers still needs to add some muscle but is a fast player who can make big plays in space. Flowers has good speed and quickness which he uses to get open in the secondary. Flowers is dangerous with the ball in his hands and can make big plays on running plays or after the catch. He needs to get better with his route running and become a complete receiver but has already shown improvement in these areas. Flowers has the talent and now that he has had some success, he should blossom into a major part of the Eagles offense.
Boston College has a new coach in Jeff Hafley and it will be interesting to see how the offense evolves. New offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. has a good track record of offensive success and should add more big play ability to the offense. With a new offense, Flowers will be in position to have a larger role. He is a big play threat and should become a major weapon in the new offense. With Flowers and Kobay White the Eagles will have two formidable options at receiver. We believe Flowers will have a big year at Boston College in 2020.
Clemson
Joseph Ngata arrived at Clemson as a top 60 recruit in the 2019 class. Ngata played as a reserve in 2019 and performed well in his limited playing time. Ngata recorded 17 catches for 240 yards and 3 TD, he also averaged 23.2 yards per kick return. The 6’3″ 215 lb receiver has great size and length for the position. He has a good combination of size and speed that is a tough matchup for most defensive backs. Ngata runs good routes for a young receiver and creates separation with ease. He has good hands and is very natural when catching the ball. Ngata has a great catch radius and can make difficult catches look easy. He got his feet wet as a freshman and is poised to burst on the scene as a sophomore.
Clemson lost star receiver Tee Higgins to the NFL draft after last season. To make matters worse the Tigers then learned star receiver Justyn Ross was lost for the season as well. Clemson does return quarterback Trevor Lawrence (#1 in our QB rankings) and slot receiver Amari Rodgers who is a productive veteran, so the new outside receivers will have some help. Look for Ngata to win one of the jobs as an outside receiver for the Tigers. He has the size and skill the Tigers have come to expect from their receivers. We expect Ngata will win a starting job and take off as a star receiver for Clemson this season.
Florida State
Akeem Dent was the headliner of Florida State’s 2019 recruiting class. The top 50 prospect played quite a bit as a true freshman and showed flashes of his potential. On the season Dent had 35 tackles 1.5 TFL and 7 PBU but did not record an interception. The 6’1″ 182 lb cornerback has good height and speed at the corner position. He has the quickness to mirror receivers, but also has the physical nature to play press man coverage. Dent needs to bulk up some to help him with physical receivers and in run support, but time in the weight room should do the trick. Dent collected valuable experience in 2019 and is ready to have a big year in 2020.
Florida State is a program in transition right now with new Head Coach Mike Norvell looking to get the program back on track. The Florida State defense was in the middle of the pack but the pass defense finished 119th in country and needs more playmakers in the secondary to step up. The Florida State secondary needs a corner to provide steady play opposite from Asante Samuel Jr. With AJ Lytton in the transfer portal there maybe less competition than expected for Dent at cornerback. Look for Dent to seize the opportunity and become a star for the Seminoles this coming season.
Louisville
Renato Brown was a three star recruit in the Cardinals 2019 recruiting class. Brown redshirted in 2019 but played in the maximum four games allowed for redshirts. The 6’4″ 330 lb Brown is a well built offensive lineman who showed promise last spring and in limited playing time last year. Brown moves well for a big guy, and has a strong lower half which allows him to drive defenders off the line well. Brown needs to continue to work on his technique and maintain balance in his pass blocking sets, but with a year to hone his skills Brown should be ready to take the next step in 2020.
The Cardinals return four of five offensive lineman but the one loss was a big one in first round draft pick Mekhi Becton. It’s likely Louisville will slide Adonis Boone to left tackle and find a new starter at right tackle this season. The offensive line will have to play well as a unit to make up for the loss of a star like Becton. Brown is well positioned to get the first crack at the open tackle spot for the Cardinals. He is a powerful player with good athleticism who will fit in well in Scott Satterfield’s offense. Look for Brown to become a quality offensive lineman for the Cardinals this season.
North Carolina State
Savion Jackson was a four star recruit and the top ranked prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2019 class. Jackson got some playing time as a reserve in 2019 tallying 8 tackles and 1 TFL. The 6’3″ 265 lb defensive end is a well built strongside defensive end. He has good strength and continues to add good weight, making him a good player at the point of attack. Jackson has a good first step and is able to get penetration to disrupt plays in the backfield. He is not a prototypical pass rusher but has disruptive ability. Jackson has time to work on his pass rush moves and add to his game, but he should be a strong player for the Wolfpack this year.
NC State lost two starters on the defensive line in James Smith-Williams and Larrell Murchison and a key reserve at defensive end in Deonte Holden. There is playing time available upfront and although some of the pieces may get reshuffled to different positions we expect Jackson to end up filling one of the open starting positions. Jackson is too talented a player not to get the opportunity to perform on the defensive front this season. Once he gets his chance we don’t expect Jackson to let it pass him by. Savion Jackson should have a big year up front for the NC State defense.
Syracuse
Mikel Jones arrived at Syracuse a high three star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class. He earned playing time as a true freshman and by the end of the season was the third linebacker on the field for the Orange. On the season, Jones accounted for 38 tackles 2 TFL and 1 PBU. The 6’0″ 212 lb linebacker is a quick, explosive linebacker who is a good tackler. Jones moves well at the position and is a comfortable in space. He still needs to add weight and strength but should be stronger going into his second year. With a year to improve and get stronger Jones is primed to have a good season in 2020.
Syracuse needs to replace both of their leading tacklers at the linebacker position in Lakiem Williams and Andrew Armstrong. Jones was the third leading tackler among linebackers last season and should be in a good position to take over one of the two vacant positions. Syracuse has young talent at linebacker and Jones will have competition but he appears to be primed to take his game to the next level. We look for Jones to be an impact player in the Orange defense this season.
Wake Forest
Donavon Greene was the jewel of Wake Forest’s 2019 recruiting class and a four star prospect. He played in four games to keep his redshirt intact but excelled when give the chance. Greene caught 13 passes for 249 yards and 2 TD in those four games. The 6’2″ 200 lb wide receiver is a big play threat at all times. He has good speed and acceleration that allows him to beat defenders down field or off the line. Greene has long arms and good leaping ability which helps make him an easy target for his quarterback. Greene needed time to learn the nuances of the game and become a more polished receiver but should be ready to take off this year for the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest returns star wide receiver Sage Surratt (#25 WR in our rankings) but little else at receiver. Both Kendall Hinton and Scotty Washington have exhausted their eligibility and accounted for over 1,600 receiving yards last season. With Surratt on the field whoever starts at the other receiver spots for the Demon Deacons will have plenty of opportunity to make plays. Defenses will try to take Surratt away and make someone else beat them. Greene has the ability to make defenses pay for leaving him too much space to work. He already showed off his big play ability in his limited playing time last season, but should become a star in 2020.
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