Three Tiger defenders make first-team All-ACC

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The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its 2023 All-ACC Team on Tuesday evening with eight Clemson players earning recognition on the annual squads recognizing the conference’s best. Clemson has produced at least eight all-conference selections in each of the last nine years and in 12 of the last 13 seasons.

Three players — defensive tackle Tyler Davis, linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and cornerback Nate Wiggins — collected first-team honors. Linebacker Barrett Carter was named to the second team, and four players — tight end Jake Briningstool, offensive tackle Blake Miller, center Will Putnam and defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro — garnered third-team recognition. Seven other players qualified for a combined eight honorable mentions.

Davis’ selection is the fourth of his career, placing him in select company in school history. He joins Travis Etienne (five), C.J. Spiller (five), Nelson Welch (four) and Mitch Hyatt (four) as the only players in school history to collect at least four career All-ACC selections. Davis, who is Clemson’s record holder for career starts by a defensive player (51), becomes the first defensive player in Clemson history to earn four career All-ACC honors.

Trotter, Wiggins, Carter, Briningstool, Miller and Orhorohoro were all first-time selections. Putnam earned a repeat selection after earning All-ACC honors a year ago.

ACC release and teams

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Ahead of the 2023 ACC Football Championship game, the conference announced its All-ACC Football Teams on Tuesday. Florida State leads all schools with 17 All-ACC selections on the first, second, and third teams with eight Seminoles landing on the first team.

Among the Seminoles, quarterback Jordan Travis totaled 175 points to lead the pack. Travis threw for 2,756 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding seven additional scores on the ground in helping guide Florida State to an undefeated regular season.

Miami finished second among conference teams with nine selections while Louisville and Duke added eight honorees. The two leading rushers throughout the conference, Omarion Hampton from North Carolina and Jawhar Jordan, rounded out the All-ACC first-team backfield. Hampton rushed for 1,442 yards and 15 touchdowns over the regular season to lead the ACC, while Jordan was right behind him with 1,076 yards on the ground and 13 rushing scores.

NC State linebacker Payton Wilson was the top overall vote-getter with 184 points. Wilson leads all ACC players with 138 total tackles, including 69 solo stops, to go along with six sacks. Right on the heels of Wilson was Virginia wide receiver Malik Washington, who leads the nation in receptions per game (9.2) while ranking second in receiving yards with 1,426.

Joining Washington on the all-conference receiving core are Florida State’s Keon Coleman and Miami’s Xavier Restrepo. For the Hurricanes, Restrepo recorded 993 receiving yards, good for second in the ACC.

Coleman became the second-ever player to earn first-team honors at three positions with his selections at wide receiver, all-purpose, and specialist, joining Clemson’s Will Shipley who accomplished the feat last year. The junior from Opelousas, Louisiana, was the favorite target of Seminole quarterbacks this season, totaling 639 yards and a conference-best 11 receiving touchdowns.

North Carolina’s Bryson Nesbit garnered first-team accolades at tight end, as the junior hauled in 41 catches for 585 yards and five touchdowns for the high-powered Tar Heels offense.

The first-team offensive line is comprised of five linemen from four schools, anchored by Darius Washington and D’Mitri Emmanuel of Florida State. Christian Mahogany, a guard from Boston College, was the top vote-getter among the linemen, while Duke’s Graham Barton and Louisville’s Bryan Hudson rounded out the grouping. Barton’s selection for the All-ACC first-team marks the second time he has done so for the Blue Devils.

Four different schools were represented by the four defensive line selections with Ashton Gillotte of Louisville leading the pack with 161 votes. Throughout the season, Gillotte was a constant force behind the line of scrimmage, racking up 14.5 tackles-for-loss, the highest total among ACC defensive linemen. Tyler Davis of Clemson (142), Jared Verse of Florida State (135), and DeWayne Carter of Duke (117) followed Gillotte, each recording first-team honors. Both Verse and Davis were also named to the conference’s first team in 2022.

While Wilson was the leading member of the linebacking core, the group was featured by schools throughout the Carolinas. Joining Wilson on the first team are Jeremiah Trotter Jr. of Clemson with 172 points and Kalen DeLoach of Florida State and Cedric Gray of North Carolina, who tied at 132 points apiece. Gray, who was also a first-team selection last year, finished second throughout the ACC in total tackles with 121 and fourth in sacks with five. Trotter Jr. edged Gray by one-half sack, finishing third in the ACC with 5.5 sacks, while DeLoach leads the undefeated Seminoles with 63 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, and seven sacks.

Similar to the front four, the first-team secondary sees representation from four conference members among the four selections. After tying for the conference lead with five interceptions, safety Kamren Kinchens of Miami led the four selections with 138 total points. Kinchens also led the secondary in votes received during the 2022 edition, tallying 139 nods and a first-team selection. Boston College cornerback Elijah Jones, who splits the interception lead with Kinchens, also earned first-team honors. The secondary was rounded out by a pair of juniors in Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins and Virginia safety Jonas Sanker.

Duke’s Porter Wilson, who leads the conference in punting, earned a spot on the first team. Wilson has totaled 50 punts for 2,331 yards this season, good for an average of 46.6 yards per punt, ranking eighth nationally. Miami’s Andy Borregales earned first-team honors at placekicker, connecting on 21-of-25 field goal attempts, including four-of-six from beyond 50 yards.

The All-ACC teams were chosen by a voting panel of 51 media members and each of the league’s 14 head coaches for a total of 65 voters. Three points were awarded for each first-team vote, two points for each second-team vote, and one point for each third-team selection.

2023 All-ACC Football Teams

First-Team All-ACC

Offense

QB – Jordan Travis – Florida State (175)

RB – Omarion Hampton – North Carolina (178)

RB – Jawhar Jordan – Louisville (176)

WR – Malik Washington – Virginia (182)

WR – Keon Coleman – Florida State (165)

WR – Xavier Restrepo – Miami (147)

TE – Bryson Nesbit – North Carolina (117)

AP – Keon Coleman – Florida State (81)

OT – Graham Barton – Duke (126)

OT – Darius Washington – Florida State (104)

OG – Christian Mahogany – Boston College (156)

OG – D’Mitri Emmanuel – Florida State (104)

C – Bryan Hudson – Louisville (94)

Defense

DE – Ashton Gillotte – Louisville (161)

DE – Jared Verse – Florida State (135)

DT – Tyler Davis – Clemson (142)

DT – DeWayne Carter – Duke (117)

LB – Payton Wilson – NC State (184)

LB – Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – Clemson (172)

LB – Kalen DeLoach – Florida State (132) tie

LB – Cedric Gray – North Carolina (132) tie

CB – Nate Wiggins – Clemson (119)

CB – Elijah Jones – Boston College (118)

S – Kamren Kinchens – Miami (138)

S – Jonas Sanker – Virginia (89)

Specialists

PK – Andy Borregales – Miami (111)

P – Porter Wilson – Duke (124)

SP – Keon Coleman – Florida State (120)

Second-Team All-ACC

Offense

QB – Drake Maye – North Carolina (135)

RB – Trey Benson – Florida State (118)

RB – LeQuint Allen – Syracuse (95)

WR – Kevin “KC” Concepcion – NC State (138)

WR – Jamari Thrash – Louisville (128)

WR – Jordan Moore – Duke (68)

TE – Jaheim Bell – Florida State (105)

AP – Bhayshul Tuten – Virginia Tech (80)

OT – Jalen Rivers – Miami (88)

OT – Ozzy Trapilo – Boston College (63)

OG – Jacob Monk – Duke (82)

OG – Michael Jurgens – Wake Forest (80)

C – Matt Lee – Miami (81)

Defense

DE – Antwaun Powell-Ryland – Virginia Tech (113)

DE – Kaimon Rucker – North Carolina (97)

DT – Braden Fiske – Florida State (80)

DT – Joshua Farmer – Florida State (76)

LB – Francisco Mauigoa – Miami (88)

LB – Marlow Wax – Syracuse (83)

LB – Tre Freeman – Duke (55) tie

LB – Barrett Carter – Clemson (55) tie

CB – Renardo Green – Florida State (83)

CB – M.J. Devonshire – Pitt (81)

S – Malik Mustapha – Wake Forest (51)

S – Jaylon King – Georgia Tech (50)

Specialists

PK – Noah Burnette – North Carolina (110)

P – Alex Mastromanno – Florida State (121)

SP – Brashard Smith – Miami (96)

Third-Team All-ACC

Offense

QB – Jack Plummer – Louisville (34)

RB – Jamal Haynes – Georgia Tech (51)

RB – Jordan Waters – Duke (44)

WR – Devontez Walker – North Carolina (67)

WR – Jacolby George – Miami (57)

WR – Johnny Wilson – Florida State (48)

TE – Jake Briningstool – Clemson (94)

AP – Jawhar Jordan – Louisville (70)

OT – Blake Miller – Clemson (55)

OT – Anthony Belton – NC State (43)

OG – Michael Gonzalez – Louisville (66)

OG – Willie Lampkin – North Carolina (48)

C – Will Putnam – Clemson (72)

Defense

DE – Rueben Bain, Jr. – Miami (65)

DE – Jasheen Davis – Wake Forest (61)

DT – Aeneas Peebles – Duke (64)

DT – Ruke Orhorhoro – Clemson (63)

LB – Vinny DePalma – Boston College (41)

LB – Tatum Bethune – Florida State (30)

LB – Power Echols – North Carolina (28)

CB – Aydan White – NC State (80)

CB – Dorain Strong – Virginia Tech (53)

S – Shyheim Brown – Florida State (49)

S – Devin Neal – Louisville (45)

Specialists

PK – Ryan Fitzgerald – Florida State (81)

P – Jack Stonehouse – Syracuse (79)

SP – Tucker Holloway – Virginia Tech (73)

Honorable -Mention All-ACC

QB – Haynes King – Georgia Tech (31)

RB – Will Shipley – Clemson (42)

RB – Phil Mafah – Clemson (37)

RB – Bhayshul Tuten – Virginia Tech (15)

WR – Eric Singleton, Jr. – Georgia Tech (41)

WR – Malachi Fields – Virginia (36)

WR – Bub Means – Pitt (19)

TE – Gavin Bartholomew – Pitt (25)

TE – Dae’Quan Wright – Virginia Tech (16)

AP – Will Shipley – Clemson (63)

AP – LeQuint Allen – Syracuse (37)

AP – Brashard Smith – Miami (24)

AP – Jamal Haynes – Georgia Tech (18)

OT – Willie Tyler – Louisville (41)

OT – Francis Mauigoa – Miami (41)

OT – Eric Miller – Louisville (35)

OT – Spencer Rolland – North Carolina (32)

OT – DeVonte Gordon – Wake Forest (26)

OT – Jordan Williams - Georgia Tech (20)

OT – Logan Taylor – Boston College (15)

OG – Joe Fusile – Georgia Tech (38)

OG – Casey Roddick – Florida State (38)

OG – Anez Cooper – Miami (37)

OG – Timothy McKay – NC State (35)

OG – Javion Cohen – Miami (34)

OG – Kyle Hergel – Boston College (33)

OG – Chris Bleich – Syracuse (17)

C – Brian Stevens – Virginia (45)

C – Maurice Smith – Florida State (24)

C – Dylan McMahon – NC State (20)

C – Corey Gaynor – North Carolina (15)

DE – Davin Vann – NC State (28)

DE – Patrick Payton – Florida State (18)

DE – Xavier Thomas – Clemson (17)

DE – T.J. Parker – Clemson (15)

DT – Norell Pollard – Virginia Tech (45)

DT – Myles Murphy – North Carolina (40)

DT – Dez Tell – Louisville (32)

DT – Aaron Faumui – Virginia (32)

DT – Cam Horsley – Boston College (25)

DT – Kevin Pointer – Wake Forest (20)

DT – Zeek Biggers – Georgia Tech (17)

LB – DJ Lundy – Florida State (24)

LB – Jaylon Scott – NC State (17)

LB – T.J. Quinn – Louisville (16)

LB – Keli Lawson – Virginia Tech (16)

CB – Quincy Riley – Louisville (40)

CB – Al Blades Jr. – Duke (40)

CB – Jarrian Jones – Florida State (37)

CB – Fentrell Cypress – Florida State (17)

CB – Jarvis Brownlee – Louisville (15)

CB – Shyheim Battle – NC State (15)

S – Khalil Barnes – Clemson (44)

S – Cam’Ron Kelly – Louisville (37)

S – Andrew Mukuba – Clemson (36)

S – Devan Boykin – NC State (36)

S – Donovan McMillon – Pitt – (34)

S – Brandon Johnson – Duke (29)

S – Justin Barron – Syracuse (29)

S – R.J. Mickens – Clemson (19)

S – Alijah Huzzie – North Carolina (18)

S – Akeem Dent – Florida State (18)

PK – John Love – Virginia Tech (60)

P – Dylan Joyce – Miami (19)

SP – Joe Shimko – NC State (26)

SP – Demond Claiborne – Wake Forest (22)

SP – Alijah Huzzie – North Carolina (19)

SP – Kenny Johnson – Pitt (18)

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