New coaches, new QBs

ACC hopes to get back to elite status despite turnover

CLEMSON — As the Atlantic Coast Conference puts the finishing touches on spring football practice, the hot topics are new coaches and new quarterbacks — and the hope that the conference will manage to avoid the same old postseason results.

The ACC's 12 coaches participated in a teleconference with the media on Tuesday to discuss the state of their programs as they look ahead to the 2008 season.

Two of the them — Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson and Duke's David Cutcliffe — were new to the proceedings. Ten of them — the exceptions Clemson's Tommy Bowden and Wake Forest's Jim Grobe — are facing big question marks at the quarterback position.

All 12 are hoping the ACC's prolonged BCS futility — seven years and counting without a championship-game appearance — will end and give the conference a much-needed boost of credibility.

From the end of the 2003 season, when Ted Roof was promoted at Duke, the ACC went three years with no head coaching turnover. That changed with four new coaches last season (Boston College, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State).

Roof and Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey were canned at the end of 2007, giving half the conference coaching changes within a mere year's span.

The two newest additions have stoked plenty of curiosity: Can Johnson, who carved out impressive successes at Navy and Georgia Southern, win at this level with his triple-option offense? And can Cutcliffe, the respected former Tennessee offensive coordinator, build something respectable at lowly Duke?

Johnson doesn't inherit a lot of offensive talent from a team that finished 7-6 last season, but he's pressed on with installing an offensive philosophy that already has opposing defensive coordinators buzzing. Sophomore Josh Nesbitt is considered the favorite to run it.

"You try to use what you have," said Johnson, 107-39 in 12 years as a head coach. "Good football players are good football players. It really doesn't matter what system."

Outside of Cullen Harper at Clemson and Riley Skinner at Wake Forest, everyone will head into fall camp with the quarterback position unsettled by varying degrees.

Miami coach Randy Shannon appears to have no clue who will direct his offense come fall, when the Hurricanes will set about atoning for last year's 5-7 disappointment. Shannon said the job is still up for grabs among freshmen Jacory Harris, Robert Marve and Cannon Smith.

The situation is far from defined at the two schools that played for the conference title last year. Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said he's not sure what the approach will be with Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon, who shared the role over the second half of 2007.

At Boston College, all second-year coach Jeff Jagodzinski has to do is find a replacement for Matt Ryan. Jagodzinski said the offense is in capable hands with fifth-year senior Chris Crane. Crane will have to fight off redshirt freshman Dominique Davis and junior-college transfer Codi Boek, though.

"We're going to have to use him a little different than we used Matt," Jagodzinski said of Crane. "We don't want to throw 50 times a game like we did last year. Chris' mobility and his ability to make plays on the run are going to be a big factor for us this year."

The ACC's reputation among the power conferences has taken a hit in recent years as the league has failed to establish itself in the postseason. The conference does not have a victory in a BCS game since Florida State defeated Virginia Tech in the 1999 title game. The Seminoles' loss to Oklahoma in the 2000 Orange Bowl was the ACC's last appearance in the BCS championship, and the conference still hasn't secured a BCS at-large bid in 10 years of the format's existence.

"We probably do get hurt by not having one team that jumps ahead of everybody and runs away with it," said Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe. "But I think that makes for a pretty good football league."

Tigers have surgery

Five Clemson players recently underwent minor surgery following spring practice: linebacker Brandon Maye (knee), receiver Tyler Grisham (knee), offensive lineman Chris Hairston (shoulder), fullback Chad Diehl (ankle) and tight end Akeem Robinson (knee). All five will be ready for the start of practice in August, according to team spokesman Tim Bourret.

Vincent decision near

Bowden said he anticipates making a decision on Cortney Vincent's status in the next "10 days to two weeks." Vincent, a senior linebacker, was arrested for DUI in December and sat out spring practice for an unrelated violation of team policy.

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com and check out the new Clemson blog at charleston.net/blogs/tiger_tracks/.