Sanker, Washington earn All-ACC First-Team honors; three other Hoos recognized

Courtesy UVA Media Relations/The Atlantic Coast Conference

Safety Jonas Sanker and wide receiver Malik Washington were each First Team selections on the 2023 All-ACC Team. Defensive lineman Aaron Faumui, wide receiver Malachi Fields and center Brian Stevens were each listed as honorable mentions.

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.

Sanker garnered All-ACC honors for the first time in his career. The junior led the ACC and ranked second in the country with 6.1 solo tackles per game. His 107 total tackles and 8.9 total tackles per game were the third-most in the league. He became the first Cavalier defensive back to eclipse the 100-tackle mark since Quin Blanding in 2017. Sanker led the Cavaliers in tackles in seven of the 12 games this season.

Washington received 182 votes, the most of any ACC offensive player. The graduate transfer from Northwestern put together one of the top receiving seasons in the league’s history. After shattering UVA’s single-season receptions and receiving yards marks, he went on to set the ACC single-season receptions (110) record along with the league’s single-season receptions per game mark (9.2). His 1,426 receiving yards were the fifth-most in a single-season ever by an ACC player. Of the 12 games played for the Cavaliers in 2023, Washington had 10, 100-yard receiving games, the most of any player in the country. His 110 receptions lead all FBS players at the conclusion of the regular season.

It marked the second-straight season Faumui has been recognized an ACC Honorable Mention. According to Pro football Focus, the senior was the highest graded run defender (65.0), tackler (30.6), pass rush snaps (62.8) among qualified defensive lineman in the ACC. From his interior line position, he totaled 32 tackles (13 solo) and a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss.

Fields teamed up with Washington to become the most productive wide receiver duo in program history. The junior caught 58 passes and accumulated 811 receiving yards to go along with five touchdowns receptions. He ranked in the top-five in the league in receiving yards (4th), receiving yards per game (5th – 67.6), receptions (6th) and receptions per game (7th – 4.83). Fields had 60 or more receiving yards in 11 of 12 games this season and 39 of his 58 receptions went for first downs.

Stevens, a graduate transfer from Dayton, started all 12 games for the Cavaliers, two at guard before transitioning to center for the final 10 games. He sported the fourth-highest Pro Football Focus grade (77.3) for centers in the country and was the top-graded run-blocking center in the ACC. He allowed one sack in 476 opportunities according to PFF.

ALL-ACC NOTES

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 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 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.

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)