As the college football season nears, who fills the top 10 of the 2024 ACC DT Rankings? The talent pool is larger than ever, thanks to the transfer portal and the conference additions of Cal, Stanford, and SMU.
ACC 2024 DT Rankings
10) Cam Horsley, Boston College Eagles
Cam Horsley is Boston College’s resident run-defending savant, using all 6’3″ and 315 pounds of his frame to fill gaps and force RBs to abandon their route. He won’t stuff the stat sheet or register a handful of sacks in a season, but his work against the run and raw power to push the pocket are worth their weight in gold.
9) Ricky Correia, Cal Bears
At 6’4″ and 325 pounds, Ricky Correia is a monster in the middle for the Bears. As was visible against Utah, Washington State, and UCLA last season, he has some pass-rush juice, but like Horsley, Correia does most of his damage against the run.
Yet, where he distinguishes himself from the BC DT, albeit not by much, is his ability to wrap up on tackle attempts along the line of scrimmage.
8) Bryce Ganious, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
After serving as a one-man wrecking crew all over Villanova’s defensive line in 2022, Bryce Ganious transferred to Wake Forest and made a home at DT. His quick and violent hands translated to ACC competition, although the Demon Deacons sometimes nullified his pass-rush potential by lining him up in the A gap.
Nevertheless, Ganious cleaned up his tackling — a concern in his final season in the FCS — and is primed for an FBS breakout in 2024.
7) Marley Cook, Miami Hurricanes
Adding to Miami’s transfer haul this offseason is Middle Tennessee’s Marley Cook. Across the last three seasons (started the last two), he has produced 19 TFLs, 10.5 sacks, one INT, two PBUs, two forced fumbles, and one blocked kick.
So yeah, Cook can cook on the field. He had a bit of a down season in 2023, but playing on the Hurricanes’ star-studded defense should see him bounce back in a big way this year.
6) Kendy Charles, Duke Blue Devils
Injury held Kendy Charles out for the early part of the 2023 campaign, but if you watched Liberty’s bowl game against Oregon, it was clear he was ready for the Power Four. Now at Duke, Charles brings his motor, raw strength, and quickness to the ACC.
While his shorter 6’0″ and 280-pound frame can struggle against length, his natural leverage causes headaches for taller linemen.
5) Jordan Guerad, Louisville Cardinals
If you watched FIU over the last two seasons, you saw No. 94 lined up anywhere from 0 to 9 tech. The most impressive part was that Jordan Guerad was able to make an impact from every alignment.
MORE: 2024 ACC Regular-Season Win Totals
He joins a fellow transfer who is higher on the 2024 ACC DT Rankings, giving Louisville one of the best DT duos in the conference.
4) Joshua Farmer, Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles had Brade Fiske go in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Fabien Lovett joined the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. Next off the line could be Joshua Farmer, who is only entering his redshirt sophomore season.
In 2023, he flashed his searing get-off, generating five sacks and disrupting several more plays. There’s room to polish his pass-rush repertoire and technique against the run, but few DTs have the physical tools Farmer does.
3) Thor Griffith, Louisville Cardinals
Unlike his namesake, Thor Griffith may not be a Norse god, but he sure seemed like it at Harvard. In 30 games since 2021, he has recorded 33.5 TFLs and 13.5 sacks, bullying linemen with his brute force.
Griffith uses his Ivy League education on the field, staying patient against the run and using angles to his advantage in all phases.
2) Peter Woods, Clemson Tigers
Don’t be surprised if Peter Woods is No. 1 on the 2024 ACC DT Rankings come season’s end — we just need to see a bit more before crowning him. After winning four straight state titles at Thompson High School in Alabama and joining Clemson as a top-10 recruit in the nation, Woods earned Freshman All-American honors in 2023.
The numbers don’t appear all that impressive (27 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and a forced fumble), but Woods consistently outplayed his DL teammates, including 2024 draftees Ruke Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis.
In fact, he has given analysts, fans, and head coach Dabo Swinney flashbacks of Dexter Lawrence in the orange and white. Any time your name is brought up as a true freshman alongside one of the best DTs in the NFL, you’re doing something right.
1) Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech Hokies
Standing 6’1″ and 290 pounds, Aeneas Peebles is a compact boulder on the interior, racking up 9.5 TFLs and five sacks for Duke last season. He was arguably the best pass-rushing DT in the ACC and is already a one-gap penetrator on NFL Draft analysts’ radars.
KEEP READING: 2024 ACC QB Rankings
Turning Blacksburg to Sacksburg in 2024 would result in Peebles hearing his name called early next April.
2024 ACC DT Rankings | 11-20
11) Jared Harrison-Hunte and Kori Roberson Jr., SMU
12) Darrell Jackson Jr. and Grady Kelly, Florida State
13) DeMonte Capehart and Payton Page, Clemson
14) Brandon Cleveland and C.J. Clark, North Carolina State
15) Zeek Biggers and Makius Scott, Georgia Tech
16) Kevin Pointer, Wake Forest
17) Anthony Franklin and Tobin Phillips, Stanford
18) Jahmeer Carter, Virginia
19) Kevin Hester Jr., North Carolina
20) George Rooks, Boston College
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