Sparks earns Preseason All-ACC honors; featured on Ray Guy Award watch list

Courtesy UVA Media Relations, The Atlantic Coast Conference

Virginia punter Daniel Sparks was named to the Preseason All-ACC team, announced by the league on Wednesday. The Cavalier junior, who was a second team All-ACC selection last season, was one of 50 punters featured on the Preseason Ray Guy Award watch list, also revealed on Wednesday. The award is annually bestowed on the nation’s top collegiate punter in the FBS.

Sparks was voted as one of five team captains by his teammates at the end of the 2022 season. He matched the UVA single-season punting average record, led the ACC and finished eighth in the country with a 45.9 yards per kick in his first year with the team.

He put his name on the map in the season finale against Pitt with a season-long 63-yard punt, one of three 60-yarders in the contest. He is the only Cavalier punter ever to launch three punts of 60 or more yards in a game.

The 2023 Ray Guy Award watch list was compiled based on the 2022 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist List, the top ten NCAA Punters from 2022, the 2022 All-Conference teams, the 2022 All-American Teams, the 2023 pre-season All-Conference Teams and eligible punters on the 2022 watchlist.

Best of the best @Dsparks115 🔶⚔️🔷

1.15.41🕊#UVAStrong | #GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/op2VxW75Zu

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 2, 2023

Clemson leads all programs with seven players on the 27-member All-ACC Preseason Football Team. Florida State followed with four selections, while North Carolina had three picks, including redshirt sophomore quarterback Drake Maye, who was voted the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Maye was named 2022 ACC Player of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year. Duke and Miami also had three honorees on the Preseason All-ACC Team.

The 2023 Preseason All-ACC Football Team was selected via a vote of a panel of 176 media members who were among those who were credentialed for last week’s ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.

Maye comes off a record-setting season in his first year as the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback. He passed for 3,847 yards and 35 touchdowns to go along with 629 yards rushing and six rushing TDs. He is just the ninth FBS quarterback since 2010 to post 3,500 passing yards, 35 passing TDs, 500 rushing yards and five rushing TDs in a season. The Huntersville, North Carolina, native also became the only ACC player in the last 25 years to register at least 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in four consecutive games.

Maye led the 2023 ACC Preseason Player of the Year balloting with 88 votes, followed by Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis (66), who was Second-Team All-ACC last season after passing for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushing for 417 yards and seven TDs. Clemson running back Will Shipley totaled 17 votes, as six players total received votes for Preseason Player of the Year.

Clemson, which was picked by the media as the likely conference champion in the ACC Preseason Poll released on Tuesday, placed a balanced contingent on the preseason All-ACC team with two players on offense and four on defense in addition to Shipley at specialist.

The preseason team features 10 returning First-Team All-ACC honorees from the 2022 season, including Shipley, who was named Preseason All-ACC at running back, all-purpose and specialist. He also was named First-Team All-ACC in all three categories last season, becoming the first-ever player to earn first-team honors at three positions. Shipley rushed 210 times for 1,182 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. He also racked up 38 receptions for 242 yards and averaged 24.9 yards per kickoff return.

Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II earned the nod at tight end after hauling in 61 passes for 969 yards and six TDs during his All-ACC campaign in 2022.

Florida State defensive end Jared Verse registered 17 tackles for loss and nine quarterback sacks during the regular season. Clemson’s Tyler Davis also was a First-Team All-ACC pick last year at defensive tackle after piling up 9.5 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks.

North Carolina’s Cedric Gray totaled an ACC-leading 145 tackles last season, including 12.0 for loss, and was a first-team selection at linebacker in 2022.

NC State cornerback Aydan White played the most coverage snaps (482) in the nation without allowing a touchdown last season, according to PFF. He ranked second in the ACC in interceptions (four). Former Cavalier Fentrell Cypress II, who transferred to Florida State in the offseason, was the other cornerback selected to the team. Miami safety Kam Kinchens was the ACC’s leader in interceptions with six last season.

2023 Preseason All-ACC Football Team
QB: Drake Maye, North Carolina (107)
RB: Will Shipley, Clemson (169)
RB: Trey Benson, Florida State (125)
WR: Johnny Wilson, Florida State (117)
WR: Tez Walker, North Carolina (51)
WR: Jalon Calhoun, Duke (49)
TE: Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse (89)
AP: Will Shipley, Clemson (105)
OT: Graham Barton, Duke (110)
OT: Matt Goncalves, Pitt (58)
OG: Christian Mahogany, Boston College (101)
OG: Javion Cohen, Miami (69)
C: Bryan Hudson, Louisville (56)
DE: Jared Verse, Florida State (136)
DE: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College (58)
DT: Tyler Davis, Clemson (124)
DT: DeWayne Carter, Duke (97)
LB: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson (132)
LB: Cedric Gray, North Carolina (109)
LB: Barrett Carter, Clemson (87)
CB: Fentrell Cypress II, Florida State (88)
CB: Aydan White, NC State (85)
S: Kam Kinchens, Miami (117)
S: Andrew Mukuba, Clemson (46)
PK: Andres Borregales, Miami (70)
P: Daniel Sparks, Virginia (54)
SP: Will Shipley, Clemson (68)

Preseason Player of the Year
1. Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (88)
2. Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State (66)
3. Will Shipley, RB, Clemson (17)
4. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson (3)
T5. Riley Leonard, QB, Duke (1)
T5. Tyler Davis, DT, Clemson (1)
Votes in parentheses
176 media voters

Ray Guy Award Timeline
Nov. 3 – Award nominations open
Nov. 6 – Complete List of candidates released
Nov. 10 – List of 10 semifinalists announced
Nov. 22 – Three finalists named
Dec. 7 – Winner announced on the Home Depot College Football Awards
*After the Ray Guy Award committee selects the 10 semifinalists, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, media representatives and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote on finalists and the eventual winner.