Former East Columbus Gator Joe Gore named third team All-ACC

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – 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.

FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB: Deshaun Watson, Soph., Clemson, 150 points

RB: Dalvin Cook, Soph., Florida State, 150

RB: Elijah Hood, Soph., UNC, 123

WR: Tyler Boyd, Jr., Pittsburgh, 147

WR: Artavis Scott, Soph., Clemson, 130

WR: Isaiah Ford, Soph., Virginia Tech, 124

TE: Jaylen Samuels, Soph., N.C. State, 93

OT: Roderick Johnson, Soph., Florida State, 102

OT: Joe Thuney, Sr., N.C. State, 82

OG: Landon Turner, Sr., UNC, 132

OG: Eric Mac Lain, Sr., Clemson, 113

C: Matt Skura, Sr., Duke, 94

PK: Roberto Aguayo, Jr., Florida State, 86

Returner: DeVon Edwards, Jr., Duke, 103

Defense

DE: Shaq Lawson, Jr., Clemson, 132

DE: Ejuan Price, Sr., Pittsburgh, 111

DT: Carlos Watson, Jr., Clemson, 101

DT: Luther Maddy, Sr. Virginia Tech, 60

DT: Connor Wujciak, Sr., BC, 60

LB: Micah Kiser, Soph., Virginia, 93

LB: Brandon Chubb, Sr., Wake Forest, 87

LB: Keith Kelsey, Jr., Louisville, 78

CB: Jalen Ramsey, Jr., Florida State, 122

CB: Mackensie Alexander, Soph,, Clemson, 81

S: Jeremy Cash, Sr., Duke, 122

S: Quin Blanding, Soph., Virginia, 88

P: Riley Dixon, Sr., Syracuse, 77

SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB: Marquise Williams, Sr., UNC, 95

RB: Wayne Gallman, Soph., Clemson, 115

RB: Qadree Ollison, R-Fr., Pittsburgh, 69

WR: Travis Rudolph, Soph., Florida State, 96

WR: Caanan Severin, Sr., Virginia, 88

TE: Jordan Leggett, Jr., Clemson, 77

OT: Jon Heck, Jr., UNC, 79

OT: Adam Bisnowaty, Jr., Pittsburgh, 77

OG: Dorian Johnson, Jr., Pittsburgh, 49

OG: Caleb Peterson, Jr., UNC, 45

C: Jay Guillermo, Jr., Clemson, 88

PK: Greg Huegel, R-Fr., Clemson, 77

Returner: Ryan Switzer, Jr., UNC, 83

Defense

DE: Mike Rose, Sr., N.C. State, 96

DE: DeMarcus Walker, Jr., Florida State, 81

DT: Nile Lawrence-Stample, Sr., Florida State, 58

LB: Steven Daniels, Sr., BC, 65

LB: Ben Boulware, Jr., Clemson, 60

LB: B.J. Goodson, Sr., Clemson, 60

LB: Reggie Northrup, Sr., Florida State, 60

CB: M.J. Stewart, Soph, UNC, 65

CB: Artie Burns, Jr., Miami, 51

S: Jayron Kearse, Jr., Clemson, 69

S: Justin Simmons, Sr., BC, 47

P: Alex Kinal, Sr., Wake Forest, 75

THIRD TEAM

Offense

QB: Brad Kaaya, Soph., Miami, 30

RB: Taquan Mizzell, Jr., Virginia, 43

RB: Travon McMillian, R-Fr., Virginia Tech, 30

WR: Stacy Coley, Jr., Miami, 58

WR: Ryan Switzer, Jr., UNC, 34

WR: Quinshad Davis, Sr., UNC, 28

TE: Bucky Hodges, Soph., Virginia Tech, 52

OT: Mitch Hyatt, Fr., Clemson, 66

OT: Joe Gore, Sr., Clemson, 59 (East Columbus High graduate)

OG: Tyrone Crowder, Soph., Clemson, 39

OG: Kareem Are, Jr., Florida State, 38

C: Lucas Crowley, Jr., UNC, 58

PK: Ross Martin, Sr., Duke, 56

Returner: Brisly Estime, Jr., Syracuse, 34

Defense

DE: Sheldon Rankins, Sr., Louisville, 47

DE: Ron Thompson, Jr., Syracuse, 24

DT: Nazair Jones, Soph., UNC 33

DT: Derrick Nnadi, Soph., Florida State, 31

LB: Shakeel Rashad, Sr., UNC, 58

LB: James Burgess, Sr., Louisville, 53

LB: Dwayne Norman, Sr., Duke, 43

CB: Cordea Tankersley, Jr., Clemson, 47

CB: Des Lawrence, Jr., UNC, 45

S: Jordan Whitehead, Fr., Pitt, 41

S: Derwin James, Fr., Florida State, 30

P: Will Monday, Sr., Duke, 39

HONORABLE MENTION
Offense

TE: Cam Serigne, Soph., Wake Forest, 39

OT: Bryan Chamberlain, Sr, Georgia Tech, 29

OT: Casey Blaser, Jr., Duke, 23

OT: Geron Christian, Fr., Louisville, 20

OG: Chad Mavety, Jr., Florida State, 36

OG: Ross Burbank, Sr., Virginia, 28

OG: Trey Braun, Sr., Georgia Tech, 25

C: Quinton Schooley, Sr., N.C. State, 23

RB: Matt Dayes, Jr., N.C. State, 29

RB: Joe Yearby, Soph., Miami, 26

PK: Nick Weiler, Jr., UNC, 36

PK: Michael Badgley, Soph., Miami, 27

Returner: Nyheim Hines, Fr., N.C. State, 25

Returner: Kermit Whitfield, Jr., Florida State, 23

Returner: Bra’Lon Cherry, Jr., N.C. State, 22

Defense

DE: Kevin Dodd, Jr., Clemson, 22

DT: Adam Gotsis, Sr., Georgia Tech, 28

DT: David Dean, Sr., Virginia, 28

DT: Corey Marshall, Sr., Virginia Tech, 21

LB: Trevon Young, Jr., Louisville, 39

LB: Matt Milano, Jr., BC, 38

LB: Devonte Fields, Jr., Louisville, 39

LB: Jeff Schoettmer, Sr., UNC, 25

CB: Trumaine Washington, Soph., Louisville, 38

CB Shaq Wiggins, Soph., Louisville, 23

CB: Avonte Maddox, Soph., Pittsburgh, 21

S: Deon Bush, Sr., Miami, 29

S: DeVon Edwards, Jr., Duke, 27

S: Donnie Miles, Soph., UNC, 26

S: Josh Harvey-Clemons, Jr., Louisville, 21

S: Lamarcus Brutus, Sr., Florida State, 20

P: Nicholas Conte, Jr., Virginia, 31

P: Cason Beatty, Sr., Florida State 27

P: Alex Howell, Sr., BC, 24