The ACC has quietly become ground zero for quarterback redemption stories. Just look at what Tyler Shough did at Louisville and how Cam Ward exploded onto the scene at Miami. Both QBs, both transfers, are now projected NFL starters. And just like that, a new bar was set. If you’re a high-profile QB and have something to prove to the world, the ACC is your redemption ground.

So now, with Ward and Shough out the door and NFL-bound, attention shifts to the next wave of quarterbacks looking to follow that same script in 2025. Naturally, most expect Miami’s Carson Beck to headline that conversation. The Georgia transfer is oozing talent, and the setup in South Florida is tailor-made for a comeback season. But when former ESPN analyst and Georgia legend David Pollack was asked about his transfer of the year in the ACC, he didn’t go to a fellow Dawg; he looked somewhere else.

“Miller Moss,” he said. Pollack straight up went to the underrated QB. “Miller Moss also showed me some swag last year, man. Like, he showed me, because he got the s–t kicked out of him. That dude got absolutely destroyed. That offensive line was very un-good for USC. I think Miller Moss is going to come in and absolutely tear it up at Louisville.” Moss had a not-so-good 2024 season. He showed some brilliant skill, especially in the game against LSU. That pass to Kyron Hudson in the 2nd quarter was a thing of beauty. But he was benched after 9 games because of performance issues. And like we said, ACC is the redemption ground, and Pollack believes Moss would use it to the max.

Carson Beck wasn’t ignored, though. Pollack did give him his flowers. But Louisville and Moss have something that Miami doesn’t: a freakishly offensive coach. Pollack said, “I think Beck is going to kill it (at Miami), but if you’re watching college football, and if you’ve watched Louisville and Jeff Brohm, he’s a freaking superstar. The way he coaches the game, the way he feels the game… take any quarterback—and I mean any quarterback—I think he could win with any quarterback in this league.” 

The Jeff Brohm effect is real. Louisville closed out last season with a statement win over Clemson and a run that had Cardinal fans dreaming big. And now Brohm gets Moss, a former blue-chip QB who’s fresh off a humbling campaign at USC, one that saw him finish with 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns before losing the starting job. But Brohm is a system savant. And Shough was a clear product of that. Moss might be next.

It’s a high-risk, high-reward gamble, but that’s the new ACC in 2025. And in a league where SMU just went undefeated in conference play and Clemson is fighting to reclaim its crown, a well-tuned QB is everything. If Brohm gets Moss firing on all cylinders, the Cardinals will be a problem. And if Pollack’s prediction plays out, we may be watching another NFL-bound redemption arc unfold right before our eyes in Louisville.

Pollack’s Beck doubts make his Moss praise even louder

Before David Pollack threw his weight behind Miller Moss as the ACC transfer of the year, he made something crystal clear back in January. He wasn’t sold on Carson Beck. Pollack, a Georgia legend himself, had concerns that went deeper than just stats or school changes. “It’s interesting with him (Carson Beck) because the injury he has, it’s a six to eight-month injury,” he said before Carson’s commitment to Miami. 

“That puts him, you know, right up against camp.” Pollack added, “Trying to get back (before the season starts). I don’t want to say this—I’m not saying this rude—but like it’s damaged goods right now. Like, you don’t know what you’re getting.” For a quarterback entering a new program and needing to take over right away, that was not a glowing endorsement.

Pollack didn’t stop there. He questioned not only Beck’s health but also the message his transfer sent to teammates. “You leaving the team and going elsewhere during bowl season… I can just put it to you like this—talking to people in these realms, that says a lot in a negative direction.” In contrast, he praised Georgia alum Nolan Smith for sticking around post-injury.

“When you look at Nolan Smith… a couple years ago. Dude hurts his arm, in a sling, out for the season. The dude’s coaching his team the rest of the year.” That kind of leadership, Pollack argued, is what wins locker rooms and championships. Beck, in Pollack’s view, missed a crucial moment to lead from the sidelines. This year, Beck would be eager to prove Moss wrong, but for now, Pollack is putting his money on Miller Moss.