This Thursday and Friday, some of the best football players in the nation will converge upon Charlotte, North Carolina for the annual #ACCKickoff – where athletes and coaches will meet with the media to give a preview of what fans can expect headed into the season. Sessions will be broken up based on divisions. The Atlantic division will meet with the media on Thursday and the Coastal Division will have their shot Friday.
Here’s what to look for on Day 1:
The Best and Brightest
The stars will shine bright Thursday in the Queen City as the Nation’s reigning National Champion Clemson Tigers will be in the building along with Heisman Trophy winner and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. 
Expect Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney to field questions about the Tigers’ quarterback situation. This will be the first season since 2014 that the team doesn’t have a quarterback on their roster who has started a game, and after what many deemed a shaky performance during the spring game by Kelly Bryant – who is #1 on the depth chart at that position – Swinney will most definitely have to answer questions about what he expects heading into September.
College football’s best player, Lamar Jackson will be attending #ACCKickoff for the 2nd time, but for the first time as a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback. That changes everything. Will we see a drop-off from the quarterback who electrified fans last season? What is he doing to prevent that? Look for that question to be answered.
I Got Next
Jackson may have the juice now, but one Atlantic division player who’s looking to take it from him is Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois. His 3,350 passing yards last year was fifth-best in program history. With the departure of star running back Dalvin Cook to the NFL, this is solely Francois’ offense. What will the ACC Rookie of the Year do with it?
The Sleeper
Coincidentally, or maybe not so much, the NC State Wolfpack seem to always be in the middle of the pack of the ACC. But this year, with the return of most of their starters from last year’s 7-6 team (that could have very well gone 10-3), expect Dave Doeren’s squad to play the sleeper role in the loaded Atlantic Division. Media day should give us a little insight into the team’s mindset heading into their game opener against South Carolina.
Where to Follow
Follow Carolina Blitz for all updates and follow me on Twitter: @VashtiHurt, Instagram: @CarolinaBlitz, and SnapChat: @Dahurtlocktress for additional behind the scenes footage.
ACC Network Extra will also carry every coach and the commissioner’s media addresses on Thursday (10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.) and Friday (9:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.).
