Five key position battles involving transfers in the ACC

Most teams are set to begin their spring practices this month, and there will be a lot of hotly-contested position battles involving transfer players.

Today Rivals.com takes a look at five competitions in the ACC involving transfers.

*****

BEST AVAILABLE: QB | RB | WR | OL | DT | DE | LB

TRANSFER SUPERLATIVES: SEC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12

RIVALS TRANSFER PORTAL: Transfer portal team rankings formula explained | Transfer portal player ranking | Transfer Tracker | Latest news | Message board

*****

Contenders: Ben Finley (returning) vs. M.J. Morris (returning) vs. Brennan Armstrong (Virginia transfer)

The battle: Devin Leary is off to Kentucky, but N.C. State features a trio of capable replacements in its quarterback room. The Wolfpack returns Ben Finley and M.J. Morris, who filled in for an injured Leary last year. It also brings in Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong, who ranks as the No. 4 quarterback in the Rivals Transfer Tracker.

Finley started a pair of games over three appearances last season, completing 52.8% of his passes for 741 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Morris made two starts over five appearances, completing 60.5% of his passes for 648 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception. He also added 88 yards and a score with his feet.

Armstrong started the past three seasons at Virginia where he threw for a school-record 9,034 yards to go with 58 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. He also has 1,267 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground over his career. However, his production took a dip last season as he completed 54.7% of his passes for 2,210 yards with seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Prediction: Armstrong. The Virginia transfer won’t be able to rest on his past success, but his three seasons of starting experience give him an early leg up in the competition.

*****

Contenders: Grant Wells (returning) vs. Kyron Drones (Baylor transfer)

The battle: Virginia Tech needs to find a quarterback coach after Brad Glenn left to take the offensive coordinator position at Cincinnati. Whoever takes his place will oversee a competition between returning starter Grant Wells and Baylor transfer Kyron Drones.

Wells, who transferred to Virginia Tech from Marshall last offseason, put together mediocre numbers in his first season running the Hokies’ offense. Over 11 starts, he completed 59% of his passes for 2,171 yards and nine touchdowns with nine interceptions while adding 212 yards and six scores on the ground.

Drones joins Virginia Tech after appearing in five games as a backup for Baylor during his redshirt freshman year last season. The dual-threat quarterback completed 14 of 23 passes for a touchdown and an interception while adding two scores on the ground.

Prediction: Drones. Wells as the advantage of a season in Virginia Tech’s offense, but Drones has the higher ceiling and didn’t transfer to ride the bench.

*****

Contenders: Zach Gibson (returning), Zach Pyron (returning) vs. Haynes King (Texas A&M transfer)

The battle: Brent Key’s first offseason as Georgia Tech’s head coach will feature a quarterback battle. The Yellow Jackets lost Jeff Sims (Nebraska) and Taisun Phommachanh (Massachusetts) to the transfer portal but brought in Texas A&M transfer Haynes King to compete with returning quarterbacks Zach Gibson and Zach Pyron.

Gibson started three games over six appearances, completing 54.8% of his passes for 589 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Pyron performed a little better, starting two games over three appearances. The dual-threat option completed 59.8% of his throws for 565 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions and added 127 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

King began the last two seasons as Texas A&M’s starting quarterback but relinquished the role both times due to injuries. He made five starts over six appearances last year, completing 55.6% of his passes for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns with six interceptions to go with 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Prediction: Pyron. While Haynes enters spring camp as the projected favorite to win the role, Pyron is the type of gritty leader Key can start building his offense around.

*****

Contender: Jarvis Brownlee Jr (returning) vs. Quincy Riley (returning) vs. Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Texas A&M transfer)

The battle: Starting cornerback Kei’Trel Clark is off to the NFL, but Louisville’s secondary should still be in good shape. The Cardinals return a starter in Jarvis Brownlee Jr. as well as Quincy Riley, who led the team’s defensive backs with a 73.1 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. Louisville also added a former Rivals150 member in Marquis Groves-Killebrew, who comes to the Cardinals after one season at Texas A&M.

After starting the past three seasons and leading the team with 12 pass deflections last season, Brownlee will likely retain his first-team role this year. While Riley is the favorite to land the starting spot at the opposite cornerback position, Groves-Killebrew offers plenty of talent and could make a strong push this spring.

Riley led Louisville with three interceptions, including one that he returned 70 yards for a touchdown against Massachusetts. Groves Killebrew appeared in just three games during his debut season but was one of six Aggies to earn Texas A&M’s Top Newcomer Award.

Prediction: Brownlee and Riley. Experience should play a key role in landing Brownlee and Riley the two starting spots, but Groves-Killebrew figures to earn significant playing time while serving as a valuable depth piece.

*****

Contenders: Perris Jones (returning) vs. Mike Hollins (returning) vs. Xavier Brown (returning) vs. Kobe Pace (Clemson transfer)

The battle: The good news for Virginia is it returns its top three running backs from last season in Perris Jones, Mike Hollins and Xavier Brown. The bad news, that trio combined for just 790 yards and five touchdowns on the ground last season.

Looking to bolster his backfield, second-year head coach Tony Elliot brought in a familiar face in Kobe Pace. An ankle injury limited the Clemson transfer to just 77 yards and three touchdowns on the ground over eight games last season. However, he served as the Tigers’ No. 2 back in 2021, rushing for 641 yards and six scores.

Jones started eight games last season, carrying the ball 81 times for 365 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding six receptions for 43 yards and two scores through the air.

Hollins continues to recover from gunshot wounds he suffered in a shooting that took the lives of three players in November. His status for next season is still unknown at the moment. Brown displayed plenty of explosiveness during his freshman season last year and is a strong breakout candidate

Prediction: Pace. This one appears to be wide open, but Pace’s past success in Elliot’s offense gives him the edge.