Yesterday ACC Digital Network shared who they thought the Top 5 Quarterbacks in the ACC are with this video, and NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett was nowhere to be found.  The Top 5 Quarterbacks they highlight are:

1. Clemson’s DeShaun Watson
2. Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas
3. FSU’s Everett Golson
4. Miami’s Brad Kaaya
5. UNC’s Marquise Williams

How does Jacoby Brissett not make this list?  Playing in his first season after sitting out an entire season, he earned a spot on this list in terms of pure production and statistics.

Brissett ranked higher last season in passing efficiency (136.7) than both Marquise Williams and Justin Thomas.  His average of 200.5 passing yards per game ranked higher than Justin Thomas.  Brissett completed 59.7% of his passes, which was better than Brad Kaaya and Justin Thomas.  Jacoby threw 23 touchdowns, which was better than Marquise Williams and Justin Thomas.  With only 5 interceptions, Brissett threw less than Brad Kaaya, Marquise Williams, Justin Thomas, and Everett Golson.   If you look at total offensive yards, Brissett’s 2,606 was more than Brad Kaaya and Justin Thomas.

Brad Kaaya and Marquise Williams also led their teams to losing records.  Jacoby Brissett helped turn the Wolfpack around from a 3-9 season in 2013, to an 8-5 season in 2014.

I agree that this is a hard list to make because there are a lot of good quarterbacks in the ACC, but being someone who likes to see the statistical/production proof behind a ranking, I see no way that Brissett doesn’t belong on this list.

You’ll notice that DeShaun Watson’s name was nowhere to be found in the above paragraph.  Between having surgery on a finger and tearing his ACL, Watson only started 4 games.  He was mind blowing in those 4 games as a Freshman, but there is no way to include him statistically in these comparisons. Also, considering the fact that Watson tore his ACL in late November, there is no guarantee that he is going to instantly return to top form in 2015.