Now that the Syracuse schedule is finalized, it’s time to bring you back up to speed on some of the changes to the other ACC opponents.
In the transfer portal era, every team in the ACC made some changes, whether that be adding a few players or doing a complete revamp of their roster, so we will break down those changes in a series of posts.
Here is the first group of schools and who has come and gone since last season:
Duke Blue Devils
2025-26 record: 35-3 (17-1 ACC, 1st in conference)
Incoming Transfers: John Blackwell (Sr. G from Wisconsin), Jacob Theodosiou (Sr. G from Loyola Maryland), Drew Scharnowski (Sr. F from Belmont),
Incoming Freshmen: Cameron Williams (five-star F), Deron Rippey Jr. (five-star G), Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (five-star F/C), Bryson Howard (four-star G), Maxime Meyer (four-star C), Nick Arnold (G)
Departures: Cameron Boozer (22.5 PPG), Isaiah Evans (15.0 PPG), Nikolas Khamenia (5.7 PPG), Maliq Brown (4,9 PPG), Darren Harris (3.3 PPG), Ifeanyi Ufochukwu (0.8 PPG), Cameron Sheffield (0.5 PPG), Jack Scott (0.5 PPG)
Returners: Patrick Ngongba II (10.1 PPG), Caleb Foster (8.3 PPG), Cayden Boozer (7.7 PPG), Dame Sarr (6.4 PPG), Sebastian Wilkins (redshirt)
Player to look out for: John Blackwell. He will be one of the most prominent players in the ACC after being a highly touted transfer in the portal. Blackwell managed to lead Wisconsin to a 5 seed in March Madness, and was a member of the Big Ten Third-Team this past season.
Boston College
2025-26 record: 11-20 (4-14 ACC, 17th in conference)
Incoming Transfers: Luke Hunger (Gr. F from George Washington), JB Frankel (Gr. G from Northeastern), Money Williams (Sr. G from Montana), Ernest Shelton (Sr. G from Merrimack), Andrija Bukumirovic (Sr. G/F from UT Martin), Armoni Zeigler (Sr. G from Ball State), Colby Duggan (Sr. F from Charleston), Aly Tounkara (Jr. F from Arkansas State), Brandon Benjamin (So. F from Fairfield), Jacob Furphy (So. G from UConn)
Incoming Freshmen: Zak Smrekar (G/F)
Departures: Fred Payne (15.8 PPG), Donald Hand Jr. (12.4 PPG), Boden Kapke (10.6 PPG), Jayden Hastings (6.7 PPG), Luka Toews (6.3 PPG), Chase Forte (6.0 PPG), Aidan Shaw (4.5 PPG), Caleb Steger (3.3 PPG), Jason Asemota (3.1 PPG), Marko Radunovic (2.2 PPG), Nick Petronio (redshirt), Akbar Waheed III (redshirt), Kany Tchanda (redshirt)
Returners: Jack Bailey (redshirt)
Player to look out for: Money Williams. Luke Murray will be looking to make an impact in Chestnut Hill in his first year as a head coach, and Money Williams will be a helper in that effort. Williams was one of the best players in the Big Sky last year, racking up a plethora of accolades including conference tournament MVP and a unanimous selection to the all-conference first team. Moving from the mid major scene to power five is always a challenge, but Williams is a player that can adapt very well.
California Golden Bears
2025-26 record: 22-12 (9-9 ACC, 9th in conference)
Incoming Transfers: Jordan Ross (Sr. G from Georgia), Nojus Indrusaitis (Jr. G from Pittsburgh), Amier Ali (Jr. G/F from Mississippi State), Michael Cooper (So. G from Wright State), Jake Wilkins (So. F from Georgia)
Incoming Freshmen: Nicolas Mitrovic (four-star F/C), Gabe Sularski (four-star G), Dominykas Daubaris (F/C), Dionycius Bakare (G/F)
Departures: Dai Dai Ames (16.9 PPG), Chris Bell (14.2 PPG), Justin Pippen (14.2 PPG), John Camden (13.8 PPG), Rytis Petraitis (5.3 PPG), Milos Ilic (3.6 PPG), DeJuan Campbell (3,3 PPG), Nolan Dorsey (1.9 PPG)
Returners: Lee Dort (8.1 PPG), Semetri Carr (3.8 PPG), Mantas Kocanas (1.7 PPG), Sammie Yeanay (1.1 PPG), Dhiaukuei Manyiel Dut (0.4 PPG), Jovani Ruff (redshirt)
Player to look out for: Lee Dort. With last seasons top 4 scorers leaving the Golden Bears, Dort will be needed in multiple facets. He should experience a jump in production, and will be a leader in the Cal locker room this upcoming season.
Clemson Tigers
2025-26 record: 24-11 (12-6 ACC, 5th in conference)
Incoming Transfers: Dylan Faulkner (Sr. F from Samford), David Fuchs (Sr. F from San Francisco), Liutauras Lelevicius (Sr. G/F from TCU), Cole Certa (Jr. G from Notre Dame)
Incoming Freshmen: William Stevens (four-star C), Harris Reynolds (four-star G), Amare James (G)
Departures: RJ Godfrey (12.0 PPG), Jestin Porter (9.6 PPG), Nick Davidson (9.1 PPG), Butta Johnson (6.3 PPG), Jake Wahlin (5.3 PPG)
Returners: Carter Welling (10.2 PPG), Ace Buckner (8.3 PPG) Dillon Hunter (7.5 PPG), Zac Foster (6.9 PPG), Chase Thompson (2.3 PPG), Dallas Thomas (2.2 PPG), Trent Steinour (1.0 PPG), Blake Davidson (redshirt)
Player to look out for: Ace Buckner. Clemson will look to improve on their solid season in 2025-26, and Buckner will be at the front of that. After a great redshirt freshman season, he will look to improve in his third year with the Tigers and has the ability to be a great provider in the ACC.
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Stay tuned as we work our way through the entire conference leading up to the season.