ACC Network’s Eric Mac Lain on ‘exciting’ Miami, Paul Finebaum vs. Dabo Swinney, and Bill Belichick’s struggles
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Eric Mac Lain didn’t plan on a career in media. Now, the former Clemson offensive lineman is one of the leading voices at ACC Network.
The ESPN college football analyst joined ACC Network in 2019 and serves as a studio analyst on The Huddle, the network’s football show. It should be an interesting season in the Atlantic Coast Conference with three teams ranked in the coaches’ preseason poll: No. 7 Miami, No. 20 SMU, and No. 23 Clemson. (The Associated Press’ Top 25 poll will be released on Aug. 17).
We recently caught up with Mac Lain to discuss the league and how he landed at ACC Network.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
What makes Miami the ACC favorite?
Eric Mac Lain: “What they have coming back is obviously very exciting: Malachi Toney, Mark Fletcher, really an entire stable of backs in the backfield. I think all four of their top rushers are back, which is amazing. And then the additions they made at quarterback, in Darian Mensah, a guy who obviously won a championship a year ago at Duke and was the second-best passer in the country in terms of yards and touchdowns. Cooper Barkate is coming with him. I don’t believe people are giving enough credit to the pressure that’s going to take off Malachi, because now you have another threat that can do a lot of damage to a defense. The defense can still be one of the best in the entire country, but it’s going to look a little different. That secondary might be as good as they’ve had in a long time in Miami.”
Paul Finebaum has strongly criticized Dabo Swinney. What’s your take on it?
“Paul knows what he’s doing. He’s a very good entertainer, and he has a job to do that’s worked for many, many years. Whether he believes a lot of the things he says, I don’t know. But he knows the things to say to rile people up, to get clicks, to get views, and that is a part of this game. I think it’s interesting when maybe people lean into that too much and maybe cross some lines, but it is what it is. He made his statements, and he makes a lot of them, for whatever reason, about Dabo Sweeney. But I think this is a very talented Clemson team.”
Paul Finebaum: “I am getting so exasperated listening to [Dabo Swinney] tell us how great he used to be. They’re not great anymore… Dabo is just stuck on stupid right now trying to convince us that [Clemson] is still legitimate. It’s not…”pic.twitter.com/da4WlTqAAP
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 17, 2026
What stands out about Clemson?
“(Offensive coordinator) Chad Morris coming in is going to be much bigger than people think. I think the comfort level, the language, and the architecture of the Clemson offense since he left are all back now. So, what kind of solutions does he have? What kind of comfort level does that allow Coach Dabo Swinney to go back to being the CEO? He doesn’t have to be listening to every call and then thinking, ‘OK, what did we used to call that?’ And all these different translations in his head. Those seconds or minutes back for in-game adjustments, I think, are going to be really fantastic. And then just looking at the quarterback position, who separates? Is it going to truly be the senior who’s been there, done that, and has Christopher Vizzina waited his turn? Or is this young guy (freshman Tait Reynolds) just too good to keep on the sideline?”
What are your thoughts on SMU?
“It’s interesting with Kevin Jennings, their quarterback, and his injury. Assuming he’s healthy, I think he’s as good as it gets in the ACC. He’s entering his third year as a starting quarterback. There’s nothing they can ask of him that’s too much. He can change protection and check to a run. Cerebrally, he’s just fun to watch. He’s experienced and knows what he’s doing. It just has to be the health thing. He was kind of sidelined a little bit last year, hobbled a little bit with his leg, and couldn’t be that super dynamic piece. And yet he still had 3,600 yards and made plays all over the place.”
Which ACC transfer will have the greatest impact?
“It’s hard not to say Darian Mensah. I mean, a team that played in the national championship a year ago, the Miami Hurricanes. Now you add a better quarterback, in terms of statistics and what people think he can do with the football. I think this Miami offense is going to be the best in the country.”
“I think Miami is a team that can win the national championship.”@EricMacLain says Darian Mensah will have @CanesFootball in the hunt for a national title next season
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) June 11, 2026
Which regular-season game featuring an ACC team are you most excited about?
“There’s no question it’s Nov. 7 when the Canes and the Irish play. That’s going to be something special. I hope the ACC Huddle can be there. Now, it’s not a conference game, but we’re trying our hardest to be there because of the storylines. Obviously, the two teams could both be top five in the country, or even one and two by the time that game gets around. The fact that that kind of kept Notre Dame out a year ago, whether you agree that it should have or not, it happened. There are going to be a lot of storylines to go along with that one, and two really good teams. I mean, just unbelievable quarterback play, defenses, and skill. They’re loaded.”
In Week 1, what does Clemson need to do to give itself a shot at LSU?
“There’s going to be a lot of extra energy and juice in the stadium. So, can you run the football? Anytime you’re on the road, if you can run the football and slow things down, that certainly helps because it can take some of that excitement away. Can you convert on third downs and methodically put drives together? Then, on the other side, I would say stop the run. But I think they’re going to be slinging it all over the yard. So, can you get your hands on the football? Sam Leavitt has proven he’ll give it to you and throw it to you. So, can you capitalize and steal a couple of extra possessions?
“I think it’s a double-digit spread. I don’t know if I’d buy into that. This is a brand-new team that hasn’t played in a real game, just like no one else has. There’s no preseason, so there are going to be some growing pains, I imagine. But there’s no doubt Lane Kiffin’s going to want to put up a lot of points.”
If you were to argue that Bill Belichick could exceed expectations this season, what would your case be?
“You’d probably have to ask somebody else. I don’t think he can. There are a lot of things going on there outside of football, a lot of distractions. It’s unfortunate because that’s a place that loves football. I know when they made this hire, they were thinking it was going to be absolute dynamite. Maybe some people didn’t. But there have been way more distractions and off-the-field stuff than we ever would have thought. At the end of the day, quarterback play changes everything. I think they feel pretty good about the (guys) they brought in…. Bobby (Petrino) can call plays, right? The offensive coordinator can dial it up, and he’s as good as it gets from an offensive mind. So that probably would, I guess, if I just thought a little harder, I could answer your question. Offensively, I think they’ve got a chance simply because of him. I don’t have questions about coaching. It’s just, ‘Do you have enough guys on the field?’”
“I threaten my playlist if things aren’t going well.”
Bill Belichick always has ‘The Boys of Fall’ ready at @UNCFootball
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) August 7, 2026
Did you always want to work in the media?
“No, man, no way. I always wanted to be a basketball player. I was always huge. My mom’s 6-foot-plus, my dad 6-foot-plus, and I just grew fast. Then I stopped growing vertically and started growing horizontally. Yeah, football might be the better thing. Both my parents are in the medical field, so I thought I would follow in their shoes. But this gift of gab that I got because my dad was in the military worked out pretty well. And the opportunities that football has continued to provide on the media side, man, it’s such a blessing. It’s something I never take for granted. I wake up every day and just can’t believe that this is what I get to call work.”
How did you end up at the ACC Network?
“I worked in marketing and sales for JMI Sports. Clemson was one of our clients. I was doing that, was happy, and was kind of on my way to being an athletic director. Maybe one day, when I grow up, who knows? It’s a changing world. Then the network launched, and a couple of people at ESPN reached out to me. It really blindsided me. I had no clue that that would ever even be a thing. When they called and said, ‘We want to fly you up to Bristol to see if you would like to be a part of this team.’ I blacked out. I had no clue what to say. I guess I said yes. But it’s one of those things where that red light came on for the first time, and we started talking ball. It was just like, ‘Man, let’s go. Let’s give this all we got. Let’s see what happens.’ I think it’s my seventh or eighth football season. It’s just truly amazing.”
The post ACC Network’s Eric Mac Lain on ‘exciting’ Miami, Paul Finebaum vs. Dabo Swinney, and Bill Belichick’s struggles appeared first on Awful Announcing.
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