ACC QB power rankings entering Week 4: Drake Maye, Jordan Travis lead the way
The ACC’s Week 3 slate is in the books.
The top 5 passers in the league all led their teams to victories this week, although not without leaving some doubt. A couple of other quarterbacks made big impressions in losses.
There’s also 1 newcomer to the list this week as Virginia Tech is continuing to sort out its QB situation.
Here are Saturday Road’s updated QB rankings for Week 4:
14. Phil Jurkovec, Pitt (Last week: 14)
It just keeps getting worse for Phil Jurkovec. After another bad game vs. West Virginia, his completion percentage has dropped to 46.7% on the year. He ranks 92nd amongst qualified passers in yards-per-attempt with 6.3. Pitt’s entire offense is having major issues, but Jurkovec hasn’t been anything close to a solution so far in 2023.
13. Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech (Last week: N/A)
Kyron Drones got the start for Virginia Tech in Week 3 as Grant Wells nurses an injury. Wells is questionable again in Week 4, so it’s possible Drones will get another game as the Hokies face Marshall. Drones looked solid against Rutgers in his 1st start, but Virginia Tech was overmatched as a whole.
12. Brennan Armstrong, NC State (Last week: 10)
NC State thrashed VMI in Week 3. Brennan Armstrong threw for 264 yards and 1 touchdown in the win. I’m not sure we learned anything about Armstrong in this one.
11. Anthony Colandrea, Virginia (Last week: 13)
Alright, the final stat line for Anthony Colandrea vs. Maryland doesn’t look that good. He melted down in 2nd half and threw interceptions on 3 straight drives. Such is life for a true freshman. But goodness, he had an impressive 1st half against the Terps. I’m excited to see what Colandrea develops into moving forward — there’s a ton of potential here.
10. Cade Klubnik, Clemson (Last week: 9)
Cade Klubnik had another big day in a Week 3 win over Florida Atlantic. Still, he’s averaging only 6.5 yards per attempt. He’s only above Brennan Armstrong and Phil Jurkovec in that category in the ACC. And that’s with Clemson facing a FCS team (Charleston Southern), a bad Group-of-5 team (Florida Atlantic) and Duke. The schedule is going to get tougher, starting this weekend vs. No. 4 Florida State.
9. Mitch Griffis, Wake Forest (Last week: 8)
Wake Forest nearly lost to Old Dominion on the road in Week 3. Griffis threw a couple of picks, but also tossed 3 touchdowns in the comeback win. Griffis has good numbers but I’m waiting to see what he looks like in conference play before moving him up the board.
8. Thomas Castellanos, Boston College (Last week: 11)
Thomas Castellanos is the biggest mover of the week. He slides up to No. 8 after his incredible performance vs. Florida State. He threw for 305 yards and rushed for 95 more in the loss to the Noles. If not for Boston College’s school-record 18 penalties, Castellanos very well may have led the Eagles to a historic upset over FSU. For the first time in awhile, Boston College seems to have some juice at the quarterback position.
7. Jack Plummer, Louisville (Last week: 6)
Jack Plummer slips back 1 spot this week, although he was solid in Louisville’s Week 3 win against Indiana. Plummer ranks in the top 5 in the ACC in both yards-per-attempt and passer efficiency rating.
6. Haynes King, Georgia Tech (Last week: 7)
Georgia Tech’s Haynes King gets the nod at No. 6 because of how efficient he’s been so far this season. He’s got 9 touchdowns, 1 interception and is averaging 8.9 yards per attempt. He also leads the ACC with 910 passing yards.
5. Garrett Shrader, Syracuse (Last week: 5)
There’s a clear tier-break here — the top 5 quarterbacks in the ACC have separated themselves to this point in the season. Garrett Shrader’s season should be getting much more attention nationally. He’s already thrown for 727 yards and rushed for 266 yards. He’s also accounted for 12 touchdowns already in Syracuse’s 3 blowout wins. The schedule is about to toughen up, however. Syracuse’s next 4 games are Army, Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State.
4. Riley Leonard, Duke (Last week: 4)
Riley Leonard continues to look the part. He threw for 219 yards and rushed for another 97 yards in Duke’s blowout win over Northwestern. Still only 1 touchdown pass this season, but Duke’s offense is humming to the tune of more than 7 yards per play. The touchdown passes will come.
3. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (Last week: 3)
Tyler Van Dyke remains at No. 3 this week after another impressive showing vs. Bethune-Cookman. If this ranking didn’t take past performance into account, Van Dyke would be No. 1. He currently leads the ACC in passer efficiency rating, yards per attempt and Total QBR.
2. Jordan Travis, Florida State (Last week: 2)
Jordan Travis sticks at No. 2 after leading Florida State to a narrow win over Boston College in Week 3. Travis played well and showed some toughness by returning to the game after suffering an arm injury at the end of the 1st half. Travis has a chance to claim the No. 1 spot this week against Clemson.
1. Drake Maye, North Carolina (Last week: 1)
Drake Maye is starting to get a little bit more comfortable, especially with the emergence of receiver Nate McCollum. Maye found McCollum a staggering 15 times for 165 yards in UNC’s Week 3 win over Minnesota. The 4 interceptions are an eye-sore, but Maye still holds onto the top spot for another week.