Pitt added its quarterback of the future last offseason, and while the Panthers aren’t on the hunt for a starting quarterback, they could still use some depth after Nate Yarnell entered the portal — as could all the ACC schools.
Just about every school in the country could use some depth, but there are already quite a few ACC programs that have starting needs based on transfer portal decisions.
Florida State and Duke have added starters, and Duke (before adding a new starter), Stanford, Virginia and Cal have all lost starters. There will be a whole lot more movement in the ACC, but here’s where we stand after a couple of notable commitments on Wednesday.
Pitt is set to play Florida State and Stanford in conference play next season.
Florida State
Added: Thomas Castellanos
Lost: Luke Kromenhoek
Florida State added former Boston College starter Thomas Castellanos to replace the outgoing DJ Uiagalelei and had former five-star Luke Kromenhoek enter the transfer portal after one season.
Castellanos completed 99-of-161 pass attempts (61.5%) for 1,366 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. But he was way down in rushing, with just 194 yards and a touchdown on 2.1 yards per carry. He racked up 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground in 2023.
Duke
Added: Darian Mensah
Lost: Maalik Murphy
Duke lost starter Maalik Murphy to the transfer portal and added former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah to replace him the next day.
Murphy had a strong season for Duke — the best in program history. He completed 254-of-421 pass attempts (60.3%) for 2,933 yards with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, adding two more touchdowns on the ground. Mensah is coming off a standout season for the Green Wave, completing 189-of-287 pass attempts (65.9%) for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding 132 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Stanford
Lost: Ashton Daniels
Daniels entered the transfer portal after two seasons as a starter. He completed 170-of-271 pass attempts (62.7%) for 1,700 yards with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, adding 669 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Virginia
Lost: Anthony Colandrea
Colandrea entered the transfer portal after two on-and-off seasons as the starter. He completed 198-of-320 pass attempts (61.9%) for 2,125 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, adding 277 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Cal
Lost: Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza entered the transfer portal after two seasons as the Cal starter. He completed 265-of-386 pass attempts (68.7%) for 3,004 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions, adding 105 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
