Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich
The February signing-day hype has fizzled, and the time is nearing to see which prep stars will actually make an immediate impact.
ESPN's Scouts Inc. recruiting guru Tom Luginbill and I put our heads together and came up with this list of the top freshmen in the ACC worth following. Some of them made the list based on sheer skill, others pure need.
1. DaQuan Bowers, DE, Clemson -- No surprise here; nor will it be when he plays.
2. Sean Spence, LB, Miami -- Here's a player with the potential to start on Day 1. He had a great spring, capped with two interceptions in the spring game. He and Johnson (see below) probably didn't receive the notoriety they should have during the recruiting process, but it's only a matter of time before the college football nation realizes just how good these guys are.
3. Aldarius Johnson, WR, Miami -- He could wind up being Miami's go-to guy.
4. Mike Glennon, QB, N.C. State -- Tom O'Brien has a knack for recruiting quarterbacks (anyone heard of Matt Ryan?), and Glennon has the skills to be a Ryan-type quarterback. For a school that currently has no answer at quarterback, Sean Glennon's little bro could be it.
5. Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech -- He's the No. 4 running back in our ESPN150, and Frank Beamer certainly needs him to play like it, especially since the dismissal of leading rusher Branden Ore.
6. Terrance Parks, CB, FSU -- He's built like a safety and could play multiple roles. He could end up being a difference maker in time, but also has the potential to play as a true freshman.
7. Kenny Tate, WR, Maryland -- He was certainly a steal for the Terps (and a loss for Illinois), but Maryland fans will probably have to wait to see Tate and his counterpart, Kerry Boykins. With Darrius Heyward-Bey returning, this is the Terps' deepest position. Odds are the best recruit Maryland fans will catch a glimpse of will be . . .
8. Masengo Kabongo, DT, Maryland -- He's physically ready. The question is whether he's got the mental game down.
9. Riley Haynes, LB, Wake Forest -- He's good enough to play as a true freshman, but knowing Jim Grobe's history of redshirting, the odds are probably slim.
10. Josh Haden, RB, BC -- He was the only running back to choose from in the spring as Jeff Jagodzinski was left with a completely empty cupboard. Haden is only 5-foot-7, but it's not like BC hasn't made memories with undersized players before.
11. Sean Renfree, QB, Duke -- Yes, Duke. They've got talented Thaddeus Lewis coming back, but Renfree could be the Blue Devils' quarterback of the future. He could have been Georgia Tech's future signal caller, but decommitted when Paul Johnson was hired. Kudos to David Cutcliffe on this one.
12. Robert Quinn, DE, UNC -- The Tar Heels are young up front, so Quinn might see a role there.
Heather Dinich covered ACC and Big Ten football for five seasons before joining ESPN.com in November 2007. She's an Indiana grad but somehow her favorite day of the week is Saturday.
