Eric Mac Lain predicts winners for ACC Coastal, Atlantic divisions if not Clemson

Former Clemson Tigers offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain is now working for ESPN and the ACC Network, and he just made some bold predictions on the winners of the ACC’s Coastal and Atlantic divisions in 2022. Mac Lain recently joined McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, where he said that if Clemson doesn’t win the ACC Atlantic division, he thinks it will be NC State. He also picked Pittsburgh to win the Coastal.

“On the Atlantic side I love NC State, I really do,” Mac Lain said. “I think on October 1 when those two (NC State and Clemson) play in Death Valley, it’s going to be fireworks. They have so much coming back. Devin Leary is I think the best quarterback in the ACC between him and (Tyler Van Dyke). Going to be fighting for a national spot. I expect a Kenny Pickett-like explosion from Devin Leary. 4,000-plus yards, 40-plus touchdowns. They could hardly run the ball a year ago, and they had the best run blocker in the league in big “Icky” (Ekwonu) and he’s gone. So I don’t think they’re going to be forcing the issue.

“Would not be surprised if he’s throwing the ball 35-plus times a game. And he’s in year three with him as the starter in the same offense with him back. With the responsibility, the ownership that I really expect to see from Devin, he needs to be a coach on the field and then go deliver like he has time and time again. So I really expect good things from him.”

NC State finished alongside Clemson in second place in the ACC Atlantic division last season, trailing Wake Forest. The Wolfpack went 9-3 overall and 6-2 against ACC opponents, and like Mac Lain said, they return the large majority of its talent from last year’s team.

Mac Lain leans towards Pitt to win ACC Coastal division for the second straight year

Last season, Pittsburgh went 11-3 overall and 7-1 against ACC opponents, but quarterback Kenny Pickett was a big part of that. Pickett finished as a Heisman finalist as he enjoyed a true breakout season. Pitt added Kedon Slovis to replace Pickett, who was a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

If Slovis can even come close to replicating Pickett’s production, Mac Lain likes where Pitt stands in the ACC Coastal division next season. Their closest competitor last season was Miami, who went 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the ACC.

“On the other side, I’m leaning Pitt right now,” said Mac Lain. “Even with Jordan Addison potentially going somewhere else, that team is just stacked. All five offensive linemen back, the entire running back room back, the wide receiver room even without the Biletnikoff has a really strong group that has done very impressive things. Transfer from Akron, (Konata) Mumpfield will be No. 1 if Addison truly goes.

“And then a defense that, you know what those guys do. Third down, look out. It’s chaos. The things that (Pat) Narduzzi is going to show you and deliver on, it’s terrifying. The star power they have led by Calijah Kancey, who I think is going to be a first-round pick on the defensive line. So Pittsburgh really has a back-to-back vibe given the situation. If they can get quarterback play close to what they did a year ago, I feel good about that.”