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Who are the ACC's biggest X factors in 2016?

Florida State Seminoles, Clemson Tigers, Louisville Cardinals, NC State Wolfpack, Boston College Eagles, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Syracuse Orange, North Carolina Tar Heels, Miami Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Panthers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Duke Blue Devils, Virginia Cavaliers

This story appears in ESPN College Football 2016, on newsstands June 7. Order online today!

By now, you're familiar with what Deshaun Watson and Dalvin Cook bring to the table. For Clemson's Watson, that might be another 4,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing (last year, he was the first player in FBS history to hit 4,000-1,000). For Cook, that could be 2,000 yards on the ground for Florida State.

Those are the stars of the ACC. What about the X factors of the conference? Here are the 14 people who could make the biggest difference for ACC teams in 2016.

Atlantic Division

Florida State Seminoles: LB Matthew Thomas

 

Way back in 2013, Thomas was the No. 6 player in the ESPN 300 and considered one to watch at Florida State. Now, after limited contributions in his first three seasons because of injuries and suspensions (NCAA rules violations), Thomas might finally make a major impact. He needs to, considering the Noles' major needs at linebacker, where they are down two key contributors and face depth concerns for a second straight season.

Clemson Tigers: DE Austin Bryant

 

The sophomore is penciled in to take over at one of the vacant defensive end spots, which have recently featured standouts Vic Beasley, Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd. Bryant (6-foot-4, 265 pounds) is similar in size to Lawson and Dodd, who combined for 49 TFLs a season ago (ranking No. 3 and No. 5 in the nation). Given the production at this position the past three seasons, Bryant's improvement from 2015 -- 23 tackles and 2.5 for loss in 13 games -- will be crucial for this defense to remain a top-10 unit.

Louisville Cardinals: WR Jamari Staples

 

In his first season at Louisville after transferring from UAB (where he had five touchdowns and almost 650 yards in his freshman and sophomore seasons), Staples led the Cardinals with 638 yards and 17.2 yards per catch -- fourth in the ACC -- despite missing the first four games because of a knee injury. But he flashed the potential to give Petrino his first 1,000-yard receiver since Jarius Wright at Arkansas in 2011.

NC State Wolfpack: WR Nyheim Hines

 

Best known for his 100-yard kickoff return against Clemson, Hines needs to build off a freshman season that featured dynamic plays in the return game; he led the team with 1,419 all-purpose yards. But he was inconsistent on offense, as only 499 of his yards came from scrimmage. Hines, who ran track with the indoor team this winter, can play tailback and slot, and much more will be put on his shoulders in 2016.

Boston College Eagles: LB Connor Strachan

 

Under former coordinator Don Brown, BC got heaps of production from its linebackers last season, thanks in large part to star senior Steven Daniels. Although Brown and Daniels are gone, expect more of the same under new DC Jim Reid, hired from Iowa. Strachan (75 tackles in 2015, second on the team) takes over in the middle and might be even more physical and athletic than Daniels, a second-team All-ACC linebacker last season.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons: DE Duke Ejiofor

 

Despite his missing much of the preseason and the first five games last season because of a concussion, Ejiofor was the Deacons' leading pass rusher, with 4 1⁄2 sacks. The junior started to come into his own late in the season, as he made 16 more tackles in seven games in 2015 than he did in 10 games in 2014. Clawson believes Ejiofor has the opportunity to play at an All-ACC level in 2016.

Syracuse Orangemen: WR Ervin Philips

 

Babers wants every player who was listed at RB/WR to settle into one spot or the other. For Philips, who took on more of a hybrid role in his first two seasons (accumulating 1,247 total yards rushing, receiving and returning), that means his days coming out of the backfield are numbered. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior will most likely line up in the slot to take advantage of his ability to make defenders miss.

Coastal Division

North Carolina Tar Heels: DT Nazair Jones

 

Last season, Jones missed four games, but his absence was never felt more than in the bowl game against Baylor, as the Heels set a bowl record with 645 rushing yards allowed. It wasn't entirely because Jones wasn't there, but that helps demonstrate just how central the 6-foot-5, 300-pound junior defensive tackle is to the interior of a defense that was No. 121 against the rush nationally last season. He could blossom into one of the conference's better linemen after just 40 tackles the past season.

Miami Hurricanes: DL coach Craig Kuligowski

 

While at Missouri, Kuligowski developed four future NFL first-rounders along the defensive line -- and that was without the kind of blue-chip prospects Miami boasts. Miami fans are salivating at what the Canes' new defensive line coach will do with the likes of juniors Al-Quadin Muhammad and Chad Thomas, both of whom are capable of 10 sacks in a season but have yet to truly tap into their talent.

Pittsburgh Panthers: DE Dewayne Hendrix

 

The defensive line returns several key players, including Ejuan Price, the ACC leader in sacks per game (0.89), who was granted a sixth year of eligibility. But the pivotal piece is Hendrix, a coveted recruit who rarely played as a freshman at Tennessee before he followed Peterman to Pitt in the spring of 2015. Narduzzi said Hendrix, a former ESPN 300 recruit, thrilled coaches with his play on the scout team and in bowl prep last year. He should be in position to challenge Price for his sack crown.

Virginia Tech Hokies: DE Vinny Mihota

 

A rotational player in his first season, Mihota is pegged to replace All-ACC pass-rusher Dadi Nicolas. Since 2004, no program has more sacks than Virginia Tech's 439. Although the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Mihota moves into a starting spot without much experience, in limited snaps, he showed that he can help in a variety of ways: He blocked a kick against Pitt and forced a critical fumble against North Carolina.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: RB Marcus Marshall

 

Marshall led the team in rushing as a freshman last season, but more than a quarter of his 654 yards came against Alcorn State in the opener, and his team-leading season total would have been good for just fourth on the 2014 squad. Marshall brings unique speed to the position -- his three rushes of 50 or more yards tied for second in the ACC -- but he needs to produce against ACC teams. He had more than 10 rush attempts just twice in eight conference games last season.

Duke Blue Devils: DL coach Ben Albert

 

Pass-rush issues sank the defense last season (7.77 yards per attempt, third-worst in the ACC), so Duke hired Ben Albert as D-line coach. At Boston College in 2013, Albert inherited a group that had six sacks the previous season but went on to finish top-five in the ACC in sacks the next three years. The best news for Blue Devils fans: Albert did that with under-the-radar talent similar to Duke's.

Virginia Cavaliers: DT Andrew Brown

 

Brown, along with safety Quin Blanding, was one of the five-star 2014 signees expected to flip the fortunes of Virginia, which was coming off a 2-10 season. But the DT spent his first two seasons in and out of the lineup with injuries, which stunted his growth and impact. He has recorded a total of only 10 tackles the past two seasons and hasn't played more than 10 games. Under Mendenhall, a former defensive coordinator, Brown should finally live up to his potential.

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