ACC Kickoff's long-awaited return will set the scene for 2021 college football season

The arrival of the ACC Kickoff event Wednesday marks a major milestone on the path to the start of the upcoming college football season.

Coaches and players from all 14 ACC football programs and media from across the conference will descend on Charlotte Wednesday and Thursday for interviews and press conferences that address the 2021 season which is now less than 40 days away.

The event will be the first ACC Kickoff since 2019. The 2020 event was first announced as a virtual event and then canceled last July just over a week before it was scheduled to begin due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The teams in the Coastal Division (Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech) will be interviewed on Wednesday's first day of the event. The Atlantic Division teams (Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Syracuse, Wake Forest) will be in attendance Thursday.

FSU’s contingent is scheduled to feature defensive end Jermaine Johnson II, quarterbacks McKenzie Milton and Jordan Travis and coach Mike Norvell. 

Johnson and Milton are graduate transfers, while Travis played in eight games with six starts last season. 

New ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, entering his first football season leading the conference, will hold a press conference Wednesday morning to touch on a variety of topics, including the lingering impact that COVID-19 could have on the 2021 season.

On Monday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at 2021 SEC Media Days that six of the 14 football teams in the conference have reached the 80% COVID-19 vaccination threshold.

"That number needs to grow and grow rapidly," Sankey said. "We have learned how to manage through a COVID environment, but we do not yet have control of a COVID environment."

Sankey also said that games postponed by coronavirus issues won't be rescheduled. 

Florida coach Dan Mullen declined to identify the percentage of vaccinated players on his roster.

He said the Gators have a "pretty high number of vaccinated players."

Setting the conference scene

When the projected order of finish for the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions are voted upon by media members attending ACC Kickoff, Clemson will again be the heavy favorite.

The Tigers must replace No. 1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence and a few other pieces, but should still be expected to win its seventh straight ACC Championship.

The race for second place in the Atlantic could be an interesting one with Boston College, Louisville and NC State all having believable claims.

On the other side of the conference, the Coastal Division seems to be a two-horse race between likely favorite UNC and Miami.

As for FSU, contending for a conference title doesn't seem to be an option in 2021. Instead, the Seminoles' focus may be on showing improvement on the field as they look for their first season with an over .500 conference record since 2016.

FSU opens its 2021 season at home against Notre Dame on Sunday, Sept. 5. The game will air on ABC with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Reach Curt Weiler at cweiler@tallahassee.com or follow him on Twitter @CurtMWeiler.

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