Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Florida State running back Dalvin Cook are unanimous first-team selections to the 2015 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team, as voted upon by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA).
Both sophomores were named to the first team on all 50 ballots cast by ACSMA members.
Watson, who led the Tigers to an unbeaten regular season and a No. 1 national ranking, leads the ACC in total offense with 331.6 yards per game and has accounted for 36 touchdowns (27 passing, nine rushing).
Florida State's Cook leads the ACC and ranks fifth nationally with 1,658 rushing yards in 11 games, and he leads the conference in scoring with 19 touchdowns.
Clemson and eighth-ranked North Carolina, which will meet in the 2015 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship game on Saturday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, fill a combined 31 spots on the All-ACC first, second and third teams.
The Atlantic Division champion Tigers lead with 17 selections, including six on the first team. The Coastal Division champion Tar Heels saw 13 players claim 14 spots, with junior Ryan Switzer chosen as both a second-team specialist and a third-team wide receiver.
Florida State had 12 total selections, and was second to Clemson in first-team selections with four.
The All-ACC first-team offensive unit includes the conference's top two rushers in Cook and North Carolina's Elijah Hood (1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns), as well as the top two leaders in receptions in Pitt's Tyler Boyd (85 catches for 873 yards) and Clemson's Artavis Scott (77 catches for 709 yards).
Also included among the first-team receiving corps are Virginia Tech's Isaiah Ford, who leads all ACC wideouts with 10 touchdown catches and 937 receiving yards, and NC State tight end Jaylen Samuels (64 receptions, 599 yards and seven touchdowns).
The offensive line includes the 2015 ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy recipient in Florida State's Roderick Johnson, as well as four-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week Landon Turner of North Carolina. They are joined by NC State tackle Joe Thuney, Clemson guard Eric Mac Lain and Duke center Matt Skura.
The special teams' first unit features three-time All-ACC placekicker Roberto Aguayo of Florida State (106 points, including 20-of-24 field goal attempts) and Duke's DeVon Edwards, who has returned three kickoffs for touchdowns this season.
The All-ACC first-team defensive unit is highlighted by several student-athletes that are current contenders for national awards, including a pair of Bronco Nagurski Award finalists in Duke safety Jeremy Cash and Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson. Cash is also one of three finalists for the the Jim Thorpe Award, and Lawson – who leads the nation with 20.5 tackles for loss – is a finalist for the Lombardi Trophy.
Also included is Pitt defensive end Ejuan Price, whose resume includes five quarterback sacks in a single game. Defensive tackles Carlos Watkins (Clemson), Luther Maddy (Virginia Tech) and Connor Wujciak (Boston College) complete the All-ACC first-team front five.
The first-team defensive unit also includes the ACC's two leading tacklers in Virginia linebacker Micah Kiser (117) and safety Quin Blanding (115).
Kiser is joined on the first-team linebacker corps by Wake Forest's Brandon Chubb and Louisville's Keith Kelsey. Cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey of Florida State and Mackensie Alexander of Clemson join Cash and Blanding in the secondary. Syracuse's Riley Dixon received the nod as first-team punter.
Nineteen student-athletes chosen to the 2015 All-ACC Football team by ACSMA are repeat selections from last season.
The 2015 ACSMA All-ACC Football Team:
First Team Offense
| Position | Player | Year | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Tyler Boyd | Jr. | Pitt | 147 |
| WR | Artavis Scott | So. | Clemson | 130 |
| WR | Isaiah Ford | So. | Virginia Tech | 124 |
| TE | Jaylen Samuels | So. | NC State | 93 |
| T | Roderick Johnson | So. | Florida State | 102 |
| T | Joe Thuney | Sr.-R | NC State | 82 |
| G | Landon Turner | Sr.-R | North Carolina | 132 |
| G | Eric Mac Lain | Sr.-R | Clemson | 113 |
| C | Matt Skura | Sr.-R | Duke | 94 |
| QB | Deshaun Watson | So. | Clemson | 150 |
| RB | Dalvin Cook | So. | Florida State | 150 |
| RB | Elijah Hood | So. | North Carolina | 123 |
| PK | Roberto Aguayo | Jr.-R | Florida State | 86 |
| Sp. | DeVon Edwards | Jr.-R | Duke | 103 |
First Team Defense
| Position | Player | Year | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Shaq Lawson | Jr. | Clemson | 132 |
| DE | Ejuan Price | Sr.-R | Pitt | 111 |
| DT | Carlos Watkins | Jr.-R | Clemson | 101 |
| DT | Luther Maddy | Sr.-R | Virginia Tech | 60 |
| DT | Connor Wujciak | Sr.-R | Boston College | 60 |
| LB | Micah Kiser | So.-R | Virginia | 93 |
| LB | Brandon Chubb | Sr.-R | Wake Forest | 87 |
| LB | Keith Kelsey | Jr. | Louisville | 78 |
| CB | Jalen Ramsey | Jr. | Florida State | 122 |
| CB | Mackensie Alexander | So.-R | Clemson | 81 |
| S | Jeremy Cash | Sr.-R | Duke | 122 |
| S | Quin Blanding | So. | Virginia | 88 |
| P | Riley Dixon | Sr. | Syracuse | 77 |
Second Team Offense
| Position | Player | Year | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Travis Rudolph | So. | Florida State | 96 |
| WR | Canaan Severin | Sr. | Virginia | 88 |
| WR | Mack Hollins | Jr.-R | North Carolina | 63 |
| WR | Kermit Whitfield | Jr. | Florida State | 63 |
| TE | Jordan Leggett | Jr. | Clemson | 77 |
| T | Jon Heck | Jr.-R | North Carolina | 79 |
| T | Adam Bisnowaty | Jr.-R | Pitt | 77 |
| G | Dorian Johnson | Jr. | Pitt | 49 |
| G | Caleb Peterson | Jr.-R | North Carolina | 45 |
| C | Jay Guillermo | Jr.-R | Clemson | 88 |
| QB | Marquise Williams | Sr.-R | North Carolina | 95 |
| RB | Wayne Gallman | So.-R | Clemson | 115 |
| RB | Qadree Ollison | Fr.-R | Pitt | 69 |
| PK | Greg Huegel | Fr.-R | Clemson | 77 |
| Sp. | Ryan Switzer | Jr. | North Carolina | 83 |
Second Team Defense
| Position | Player | Year | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Mike Rose | Sr.-R | NC State | 96 |
| DE | DeMarcus Walker | Jr. | Florida State | 81 |
| DT | Nile Lawrence-Stample | Sr.-R | Florida State | 58 |
| DT | DeAngelo Brown | Jr.-R | Louisville | 46 |
| LB | Steven Daniels | Sr. | Boston College | 65 |
| LB | Ben Boulware | Jr. | Clemson | 60 |
| LB | B.J. Goodson | Sr.-R | Clemson | 60 |
| LB | Reggie Northrup | Sr. | Florida State | 60 |
| CB | M.J. Stewart | So. | North Carolina | 65 |
| CB | Artie Burns | Jr. | Miami | 51 |
| S | Jayron Kearse | Jr. | Clemson | 69 |
| S | Justin Simmons | Sr. | Boston College | 47 |
| P | Alex Kinal | Sr.-R | Wake Forest | 75 |
Third Team Offense
| Position | Player | Year | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Stacy Coley | Jr. | Miami | 58 |
| WR | Ryan Switzer | Jr. | North Carolina | 34 |
| WR | Quinshad Davis | Sr. | North Carolina | 28 |
| TE | Bucky Hodges | So.-R | Virginia Tech | 52 |
| T | Mitch Hyatt | Fr. | Clemson | 66 |
| T | Joe Gore | Sr.-R | Clemson | 59 |
| G | Tyrone Crowder | So.-R | Clemson | 39 |
| G | Kareem Are | Jr.-R | Florida State | 38 |
| C | Lucas Crowley | Jr. | North Carolina | 58 |
| QB | Brad Kaaya | So. | Miami | 30 |
| RB | Taquan Mizzell | Jr. | Virginia | 43 |
| RB | Travon McMillian | Fr.-R | Virginia Tech | 30 |
| PK | Ross Martin | Sr. | Duke | 56 |
| Sp. | Brisly Estime | Jr. | Syracuse | 34 |
Third Team Defense
| Position | Player | Year | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Sheldon Rankins | Sr. | Louisville | 47 |
| DE | Ron Thompson | Jr. | Syracuse | 24 |
| DT | Nazair Jones | So.-R | North Carolina | 33 |
| DT | Derrick Nnadi | So. | Florida State | 31 |
| DT | Darryl Render | Sr. | Pitt | 31 |
| LB | Shakeel Rashad | Sr. | North Carolina | 58 |
| LB | James Burgess | Sr. | Louisville | 53 |
| LB | Dwayne Norman | Sr. | Duke | 43 |
| CB | Cordrea Tankersley | Jr. | Clemson | 47 |
| CB | Des Lawrence | Jr. | North Carolina | 45 |
| S | Jordan Whitehead | Fr. | Pitt | 41 |
| S | Derwin James | Fr. | Florida State | 30 |
| P | Will Monday | Sr.-R | Duke | 39 |
Honorable Mention Offense
| Position | Player | Year | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | Cam Serigne | So.-R | Wake Forest | 39 |
| T | Bryan Chamberlain | Sr.-R | Georgia Tech | 29 |
| T | Casey Blaser | Jr.-R | Duke | 23 |
| T | Geron Christian | Fr. | Louisville | 20 |
| G | Chad Mavety | Jr.-R | Florida State | 36 |
| G | Lucas Patrick | Sr.-R | Duke | 35 |
| G | Ross Burbank | Sr.-R | Virginia | 28 |
| G | Trey Braun | Sr.-R | Georgia Tech | 25 |
| C | Quinton Schooley | Sr. | NC State | 23 |
| RB | Matt Dayes | Jr. | NC State | 29 |
| RB | Joe Yearby | So. | Miami | 26 |
| PK | Nick Weiler | Jr. | North Carolina | 36 |
| PK | Michael Badgley | So. | Miami | 27 |
| Sp. | Nyheim Hines | Fr. | NC State | 25 |
| Sp. | Kermit Whitfield | Jr. | Florida State | 23 |
| Sp. | Bra'Lon Cherry | Jr. | NC State | 22 |
Honorable Mention Defense
| Position | Player | Year | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Kevin Dodd | Jr.-R | Clemson | 22 |
| DT | Adam Gotsis | Sr. | Georgia Tech | 28 |
| DT | David Dean | Sr.-R | Virginia | 28 |
| DT | Corey Marshall | Sr.-R | Virginia Tech | 21 |
| LB | Trevon Young | Jr. | Louisville | 41 |
| LB | Terrance Smith | Sr.-R | Florida State | 39 |
| LB | Devonte Fields | Jr. | Louisville | 39 |
| LB | Matt Milano | Jr. | Boston College | 38 |
| LB | Jeff Schoettmer | Sr.-R | North Carolina | 25 |
| CB | Trumaine Washington | So. | Louisville | 38 |
| CB | Shaq Wiggins | So.-R | Louisville | 23 |
| CB | Avonte Maddox | So. | Pitt | 21 |
| S | Deon Bush | Sr. | Miami | 29 |
| S | DeVon Edwards | Jr.-R | Duke | 27 |
| S | Donnie Miles | So.-R | North Carolina | 26 |
| S | Josh Harvey-Clemons | Jr.-R | Louisville | 21 |
| S | Lamarcus Brutus | Sr.-R | Florida State | 20 |
| P | Nicholas Conte | Jr.-R | Virginia | 31 |
| P | Cason Beatty | Sr. | Florida State | 27 |
| P | Alex Howell | Sr.-R | Boston College | 24 |
Comments
Im actually a little suprised Maddy made 1st team.
I'm a little surprised Facyson didn't make the cut, he had a pretty solid year.
He intercepted all the ballots with his name on them.
Did he return any for touchdowns?
Wow, the fact we only had 2 defensive players (by my count, correct me if wrong) speaks volumes to the work Bud did this year. Yeah our defense dipped by our standards but it's still a top 30 defensive unit and he did it with a pretty green group of kids. This list, and more so the absence of a lot of Hokies on the list, just accentuates that.
{ctrl-F: "facyson"}
WTF.
Same. What the hell is up with that?
I did that too, then I thought maybe they just misspelled his name, so I tried "Virginia Tech." Nothing after the other guys. "Va Tech." Nothing....
Ford is the league leading receiver, 3rd in voting? No AJ Hughes, period?
Sounds about right. /s
Edit: Just for reference.
Ford 63 rec 937 yards 10 TDs
Boyd 85 rec 873 yards 6 TDs
Scott 77 rec 709 yards 4 TDs
I wanted to say the same thing about Ford. There has to be a reason he isn't the top vote getter right? I'm just glad he was recognized as first team.
Yummy double post! Here's a bathtub cat instead.
Probably because we're 6-6 and his name isn't as well known. Not that the reasoning is valid, but that's how these things usually work.
Gona take heat but No way Ford was going to beat out Boyd for top WR. I'm just surprised 1 voter didn't give Boyd the no 1 vote. Ford had great year and maybe should have been second but Boyd had over 20 more receptions in one less game. This when everybody in the building new he was the target over 50% of the attempts. That is the reason for the low YPC. Check his Yd Per catch his FR. And SOph year when Pitt had other targets. He also rushed for 300yds. That's more than any VT RB not named MCmillian. No slight on Ford being 3rd he had an awesome year.
We're waiting for Hughes' name to fall down - so much hangtime.
A lot of really good punters in the ACC.
It's absolutely ridiculous that he's 3rd in voting.
Especially when you look at how average our offense has been overall, Ford's performance takes on even greater... greatness. Scott is just a cog in the Clemson machine, and Boyd even with a crushing running game to leverage with play-action deep balls averages 5 yards less per catch than Ford.
Artavis getting more votes than Isaiah Ford is a joke. He's not even a true receiver. Deon Cain is the best true receiver playing for Clemson right now.
From september but still used mostly in this role. Deadly with the ball in his hands, but has obvious need for improvement in route running, and I guess playing the ball downfield because there is no reason he shouldn't be a dynamic deep threat with his physical skill set.
Ford has almost as many yards this season and has 6 more TDs.
This is exactly why I hate any type of player awards in college football. Just call every superlative what they really are, popularity contests.
I have a feeling that next year there will be a ton more Hokies on this list on both sides of the ball.
It will be a nice bonus on top of our championship*.
* type of championship is neither specified nor implied.
This guy thinks Blanding is overrated:
Moose!
The reasons Ford isn't the top vote getter Escapes me. Every time he goes on an down field Expedition, this Explorer of the secondary gallops like a Mustang through coverages.
Edsel lot of imagery.
For real. Defenses couldn't Probe the Contours of his routes. Because of his work in the weight room last off season, he was really able to Flex his muscles out there. He is a Model A receiver. His stats should have Escorted him right to the top of the vote totals.
Also, Pinto and Raptor.
Zero OL on the 4 teams. That speaks to the success of our offense. (Note: imagine where Travon would've been if Shane had figured out he was our only RB to run forward prior version to the 5th or 6th game?)
Two defensive players total...and finished top-30. Imagine if Foster had a full deck.
Zero ST players.
Really there are seven defensive ends better than Dadi and Ken? It's like sacks are the only impact that matters. Also Facyson has shut down a third of the field and was rarely targeted and wasn't one of the top 9 corners? I understand AJ, Malleck, Teller, and Alexander being left off because their impacts were more subtle. But really? #goacc
It's pretty obvious this shit is a popularity contest when Ford scores 3 TDs in a game and the ACCs Receiver of the Week is a kid from Miami with 1 TD on 139 yards.
As Ford said post game, "I guess next week I need to score 4 touchdowns."
yeah but all did in that game was catch touchdowns... /s
That and I think all were just a couple yds long where he just found soft spot in end zone. Like I said earlier afford had a great year and has every opportunity baring injury to come back next year and get all the established guy stuff some say Boyd has received. Truth is even the commentators didn't think of Ford as VT biggest threat. Most thought Bucky to be The Guy!