Clemson football: 3 ACC programs that will compete with the Tigers soon

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 27: Offensive Lineman John Simpson #74 of the Clemson Tigers during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 27, 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida. The #2 Ranked Clemson Tigers defeated the Florida State Seminoles 59 to 10. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 27: Offensive Lineman John Simpson #74 of the Clemson Tigers during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 27, 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida. The #2 Ranked Clemson Tigers defeated the Florida State Seminoles 59 to 10. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
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Clemson football
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 12: Head coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels removes is mask for a television interview before their game against the Syracuse Orange at Kenan Stadium on September 12, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

UNC

This one seems obvious but still has to be mentioned.

Even at 69 years old, Mack Brown seems to have re-invented himself to appeal to the younger generation. He has also surrounded himself with a coaching staff that has a great mixture of college football and NFL experience not mention guys like Dre Bly that are legends to the program.

Having a signal-caller like Sam Howell also helps. As a Clemson football fan, we have seen firsthand over the last decade how a great quarterback can attract elite playmakers and that is exactly what is happening in Chapel Hill.

UNC still has to learn to play consistently from week to week and that will happen as Brown continues to establish the culture that he has had everywhere he has been. Like Coach Swinney, he will need more than the year he has had to establish his program and ingrain his coaching philosophy on players.

They are clearly off to a good start and if his past 40 years as a head coach is any indication, UNC will be competing with Clemson for the ACC in the near future as well.

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