Most old-school sports fans in North Carolina associate the term “Big Four” with basketball — specifically the early-season hoops tournament held at Greensboro Coliseum from 1971 to 1981, featuring NC State, North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest.
But the moniker still fits on the football side.
The Pack, Heels, Devils and Deacs remain our state’s highest-profile programs. They play in the biggest conference, carry the biggest expectations and generate the most buzz nationally.
The Big Four. We’re sticking with it.
And in the spirit of that vintage nickname, we’re kicking off our first 2025 Big Four Football Report with another throwback tradition — the glossy preseason preview magazines.
The Phil Steele ‘25 College Football Preview just landed in the NC Football News mailbox this week. Athlon and Lindy’s? We found them at the neighborhood bookstore — looking a bit lonely, to be honest (we still believe!).
So how do these preseason mags stack up our state’s ACC squads heading into the 2025 season? We flipped through the pages to find out. Some highlights:
🏈 Duke Blue Devils
Phil Steele: T-9th in ACC, #58 nationally
Athlon: 6th in ACC, #41 nationally
Lindy’s: 8th in ACC, #42 nationally
⭐ Preseason Honors
All-Americans
CB Chandler Rivers (Phil Steele 2nd team, Athlon 2nd team)
OT Brian Parker (Phil Steele 3rd team)
S Terry Moore (Phil Steele 3rd team)
First-Team All-ACC
OT Brian Parker (Athlon, Lindy’s, Phil Steele)
CB Chandler Rivers (Athlon, Lindy’s, Phil Steele)
S Terry Moore (Athlon, Lindy’s, Phil Steele)
P Kade Reynoldson (Lindy’s)
🎯 Bowl Projection
Athlon: Sun Bowl vs. Utah
📝 Quotes & Notes
“North Carolina got all the talk, but this is going to be a fascinating program to watch down the road … They’re all in on NIL, and [Darian] Mensah was a big investment for them. If he’s as effective as he was at Tulane, they could be a title contender because that defense is absolutely legit,” – an anonymous ACC assistant coach as quoted in Athlon
“They’re returning almost everyone, and last year was some of Manny Diaz’s best work of his career … They’re recruiting high schools better than anyone’s seen from them, too … This is a program that is all-in on football in a way we’ve never seen,” – anonymous ACC assistant coach, quoted in Athlon
Quarterback Darian Mensah (Tulane → Duke) is listed among Athlon’s top transfers nationally and is Lindy’s Top Newcomer for the Blue Devils.
Duke’s defensive backfield is ranked eighth nationally by Lindy’s.
“You will see Duke listed in the Going Down box in many of my metrics pages … Duke had defied the odds for the last three years but I do not see them matching last year’s 9 win total.” – Phil Steele
“If Duke’s as good as advertised on defense, Manny Diaz’s team will be a tough out.” – Lindy’s
No fly zone 😈 pic.twitter.com/riwcE1YfWV — Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) June 13, 2025
🏈 NC State Wolfpack
Phil Steele: T-9th in ACC, #41 nationally
Athlon: 10th in ACC, #54 nationally
Lindy’s: 11th in ACC, #49 nationally
⭐ Preseason Honors
All-Americans
TE Justin Jolly (Athlon 3rd team, Phil Steele 4th team)
First-Team All-ACC
TE Justin Jolly (Athlon, Lindy’s, Phil Steele)
LB Sean Brown (Phil Steele)
🎯 Bowl Projection
Athlon: Fenway Bowl vs. Army
📝 Quotes & Notes
“This is one of the most consistent programs in our league. Dave Doeren has done a great job adjusting and rebuilding the roster over the years,” – opposing ACC assistant coach quoted in Athlon
“There is always talent on these rosters, and it’s always a step behind the top programs in the league,” – opposing ACC assistant quoted in Athlon
Former NC State WR K.C. Concepcion (Texas A&M) ranks among Athlon’s top transfers.
Name to remember: Linebacker Tra Thomas – Lindy’s calls the Temple transfer the Top Newcomer for the Wolfpack heading into the season.
Look what arrived at NC Football News headquarters today!!
College football is back, officially 🏈 @philsteele042 pic.twitter.com/WhIYjwKNPZ — NC Football News (@NCFootballNews) June 14, 2025
🏈 North Carolina Tar Heels
Phil Steele: 6th in ACC, #35 nationally
Athlon: 9th in ACC, #52 nationally
Lindy’s: 10th in ACC, #46 nationally
⭐ Preseason Honors
No All-American or First Team All-ACC picks
🎯 Bowl Projection
Athlon: Military Bowl vs. Navy
📝 Quotes & Notes
“It would not surprise me if Belichick was a contender in year one.” – Phil Steele
“Honestly, no one really has any idea what to expect on the field when they start the season,” – an opposing ACC assistant coach sizes up UNC for Athlon
Phil Steele projects the Tar Heels to be one of his Most Improved teams (6th)
Bill Belichick makes the Southern/ACC cover for Athlon’s 2025 college preview, the only non-player pictured among the various regional & national editions.
Quarterback Gio Lopez (South Alabama → UNC) is listed among Athlon’s top transfers.
Athlon grades the hire of Bill Belichick with an “A” – “Taking the opportunity to hire arguably the greatest coach in NFL history is a no-brainer.”
“The defense has been a problem in recent seasons regardless of coordinator and there are few signs that will change dramatically.” – Lindy’s
🏈 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Phil Steele: 16th in ACC, #91 nationally
Athlon: 16th in ACC, #80 nationally
Lindy’s: 14th in ACC, #68 nationally
⭐ Preseason Honors
All-Americans
AP Demond Claiborne (Phil Steele 4th team)
First-Team All-ACC
AP Demond Claiborne (Lindy’s)
🎯 Bowl Projection
Athlon: None
📝 Quotes & Notes
“Goodbye slow mesh; hello power spread. Jake Dickert replacing the retired Dave Clawson as head coach means a farewell to the unique offense Wake Forest has employed for the past decade.” – Athlon
Demond Claiborne is one of two returning 1,000-yard rushers to the ACC. He finished with 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024, averaging 87.4 ypg.
Nick Andersen led the ACC in tackles (122), recording 10.2 stops per game.
Athlon grades the hire of coach Jake Dickert with a “B+” – “Dickert knows how to maximize talent … He has no experience coaching on the East Coast or in the ACC, so he will need time to adapt.”
“They have a couple of good players, but from what we know, it’s a totally wide-open audition at every position,” – opposing ACC assistant coach quoted by AthlonWide receiver Carlos Hernandez, who followed Dickert from Washington State to Winston-Salem is Lindy’s Top Newcomer for Wake. Hernandez caught eight passes, including a TD, in the bowl against Syracuse.
📚 Magazine Matchup Summary
Highest ACC Rank Overall:
🏈 Duke, picked 6th in the ACC by Athlon
Best National Ranking:
🏈 UNC, slotted #35 nationally by Phil Steele
Most Preseason All-ACC Picks:
🏈 Duke, with 4 first-teamers across the mags
(Parker, Rivers, Moore, Reynoldson)
Most Doubt from the Mags:
🏈 Wake Forest, ranked 16th in the ACC by both Phil Steele and Athlon, with no bowl projection listed
Most Intriguing Coaching Storyline:
🏈 UNC and Bill Belichick, who landed the Athlon Southern Region cover — the only non-player to appear across all editions
Top Transfer Buzz:
🏈 Duke QB Darian Mensah (Tulane → Duke)
🏈 UNC QB Gio Lopez (South Alabama → UNC)
🏈 NC State LB Tra Thomas (Temple → State)
🏈 Wake WR Carlos Hernandez (Wazzu → Wake)
Check out who the Big Four will be playing this season: View our 2025 Schedules Hub
