Clemson coach takes exception to these Tigers being left off All-ACC teams

A former Clemson star defensive back and current Clemson staffer took to social media about two players he feels were snubbed from the All-ACC teams, which were announced Tuesday morning. Tigers defensive analyst Deandre McDaniel, a two-time …

A former Clemson star defensive back and current Clemson staffer took to social media about two players he feels were snubbed from the All-ACC teams, which were announced Tuesday morning.

Tigers defensive analyst Deandre McDaniel, a two-time All-American for Dabo Swinney back in his playing days at Clemson, expressed his feelings on Clemson fifth-year senior linebacker Baylon Spector and sophomore linebacker Trenton Simpson being left off the All-ACC teams.

Spector and Simpson rank second and third on Clemson’s team with 85 and 72 total tackles, respectively. Spector has 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups and five quarterback pressures in 12 games this season (10 starts), while Simpson has 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, three pass breakups and nine quarterback pressures in 12 games (11 starts).

The All-ACC teams were chosen by a voting panel of 50 media members and each of the league’s head coaches.

Clemson had four players named to the All-ACC First Team defense, while 10 Tigers were named to the three All-ACC teams overall, which you can see here.

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Four Tigers Make First Team All-ACC

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Coastal Division champion Pitt leads the 2021 All-ACC Football Teams announced on Tuesday. The Panthers filled a total of 12 spots on the first, second and third teams. Clemson followed with 10 selections, while …

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Coastal Division champion Pitt leads the 2021 All-ACC Football Teams announced on Tuesday.
The Panthers filled a total of 12 spots on the first, second and third teams. Clemson followed with 10 selections, while Atlantic Division champion Wake Forest, Boston College and NC State each had eight honorees.
Each of the conference’s 14 teams earned at least three selections to the All-ACC teams, which were chosen by a voting panel of 50 media members and each of the league’s head coaches. Three points were awarded for each first-team vote, two points for each second-team vote, and one point for each third-team selection.
Florida State senior defensive end Jermaine Johnson II, who leads the ACC and ranks No. 6 nationally in quarterback sacks with 12, led the balloting with 189 total points. Three players on the All-ACC first-team offensive unit eclipsed the 180-point mark, led by Syracuse running back Sean Tucker (187), Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison (186) and Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett (181).
Tucker leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally with 1,496 rushing yards. Addison leads the country with 17 touchdown catches. Pickett has thrown a Pitt-record 40 touchdown passes and is one TD pass shy of the ACC single-season record set by Clemson’s Deshaun Watson over a 15-game span in 2016.
Pickett and Tucker are joined in the All-ACC first-team backfield by Duke running back Mataeo Durant (1,241 rushing yards). North Carolina’s Josh Downs (a league-high 98 receptions), Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry (a school single-season record 13 touchdown catches) and Virginia’s Dontayvion Wicks (nine touchdown catches) complete the first-team wide receiving corps.
Georgia Tech’s Jahmyr Gibbs, whose 150.4 all-purpose yards per game rank third nationally, earned selection as both first-team all-purpose back, second-team specialist and third-team running back. Virginia Tech’s Jelani Woods (44 receptions, eight TDs) is the first-team tight end.
The first-team offensive line is a standout unit that includes Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner Ikem Ekwonu of NC State and Jim Tatum Award winner Zach Tom of Wake Forest at the tackle slots. Boston College placed two veterans up front in guard Zion Johnson and center Alec Lindstrom, and Louisville’s Caleb Chandler earned the other first-team offensive guard position.
Wake Forest’s Nick Sciba, who ranks fourth on the ACC’s all-time scoring list, holds the first-team placekicker spot and is joined on special teams by the NC State tandem of punter Trenton Gill (45.0 yards per punt) and return specialist Zonovan Knight (two 100-yard kickoff returns this season).
Florida State’s Johnson is joined on the All-ACC first-team defensive front by fellow defensive end Cody Roscoe of Florida State and a trio of defensive tackles (due to ties in the voting) in Pitt’s Calijah Kancey, NC State’s Corey Durden and Clemson’s Tyler Davis.
With Davis joined by linebacker James Skalski and cornerbacks Mario Goodrich and Andrew Booth, Clemson led all schools with four defensive first-team selections. NC State boasted three with Durden joined by linebacker Drake Thomas and safety Tanner Ingle.
Syracuse linebacker Mikel Jones and Florida State safety Jammer Robinson round out the All-ACC first-team defensive unit.
2021 All-ACC Football Teams
First-Team Offense
QB – Kenny Pickett, Pitt, 181
RB – Sean Tucker, Syracuse, 187
RB – Mataeo Durant, Duke, 154
WR – Jordan Addison, Pitt, 186
WR – Josh Downs, North Carolina, 161
WR – Dontayvion Wicks, Virginia, 131 (tie)
WR – A.T. Perry, Wake Forest, 131 (tie)
TE – Jelani Woods, Virginia, 134
AP – Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech, 126
OT – Ikem Ekwonu, NC State, 170
OT – Zach Tom, Wake Forest, 104
OG – Zion Johnson, Boston College, 156
OG – Caleb Chandler, Louisville, 65
C – Alec Lindstrom, Boston College, 86
First-Team Defense
DE – Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State, 189
DE – Cody Roscoe, Syracuse, 112
DT – Calijah Kancey, Pitt, 133
DT – Corey Durden, NC State, 78 (tie)
DT – Tyler Davis, Clemson, 78 (tie)
LB – Drake Thomas, NC State, 148
LB – Mikel Jones, Syracuse, 134
LB – James Skalski, Clemson, 128
CB – Mario Goodrich, Clemson, 110
CB – Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson, 105
S – Jammie Robinson, Florida State, 106
S – Tanner Ingle, NC State, 92
First-Team Special Teams
PK – Nick Sciba, Wake Forest, 183
P – Trenton Gill, NC State, 142
SP – Zonovan Knight, NC State, 146
Second-Team Offense
QB – Sam Hartman, Wake Forest, 80
RB – Ty Chandler, North Carolina, 120
RB – Pat Garwo, Boston College, 86
WR – Charleston Rambo, Miami, 126
WR – Emeka Emezie, NC State, 110
WR – Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest, 91
TE – Lucas Krull, Pitt, 80
AP – Keytaon Thompson, Virginia, 77
OT – Jordan McFadden, Clemson, 94
OT – Carter Warren, Pitt, 69
OG – Christian Mahogany, Boston College, 62
OG – DJ Scaife, Miami, 56
C – Olusegun Oluwatimi, Virginia, 62
Second-Team Defense
DE – Myles Murphy, Clemson, 108
DE – Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt, 98
DT – Miles Fox, Wake Forest, 72
DT – Myles Murphy, North Carolina, 69
LB – Yasir Addullah, Louisville, 92
LB – Nick Jackson, Virginia, 84
LB – Quez Jackson, Georgia Tech, 71 (tie)
LB – SirVocea Dennis, Pitt, 71 (tie)
CB – Jermaine Waller, Virginia Tech, 76
CB – Josh DeBerry, Boston College, 60 (tie)
CB – Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville, 60 (tie)
S – Traveon Redd, Wake Forest, 76
S – Brandon Hill, Pitt, 68
Second-Team Special Teams
PK – B.T. Potter, Clemson, 87
P – Lou Hedley, Miami, 98
SP – Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech, 112
Third-Team Offense
QB – Brennan Armstrong, Virginia, 68
RB – Jashaun Corbin, Florida State, 62
RB – Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech, 54
WR – Zay Flowers, Boston College, 77
WR – Billy Kemp, Virginia, 37
WR – Jake Bobo, Duke, 32
TE – Marshon Ford, Louisville, 72
AP – Jordan Addison, Pitt, 75
OT – Ben Petrula, Boston College, 68
OT – Gabe Houy, Pitt, 44
OG – Marcus Minor, Pitt, 53
OG – Sean Maginn, Wake Forest, 53
C – Grant Gibson, NC State, 53
Third-Team Defense
DE – Keir Thomas, Florida State, 53
DE – Xavier Thomas, Clemson, 52
DT – Bryan Bresee, Clemson, 60
DT – DeWayne Carter, Duke, 51
LB – Shaka Heyward, Duke, 45
LB – Tomon Fox, North Carolina, 40
LB – Jeremiah Gemmel, North Carolina, 39
CB – Brandon Sebastian, Boston College, 58
CB – Duce Chestnut, Syracuse, 40
S – Cam’Ron Kelly, North Carolina, 61
S – Andrew Mukuba, Clemson, 58
Third-Team Special Teams
PK – Sam Scarton, Pitt, 55
P – Peter Moore, Virginia Tech, 83
SP – Tayvion Robinson, Virginia Tech, 57
Honorable Mention
QB – Sam Howell, North Carolina, 19
QB – Devin Leary, NC State, 18
RB – Zonovan Knight, NC State, 45
RB – Jaylan Knighton, Miami, 31
WR – Jake Bobo, Duke, 32
WR – Tre Turner, Virginia Tech, 25
TE – Trae Barry, Boston College, 25
TE – Davis Allen, Clemson, 22
TE – Brandon Chapman, Wake Forest, 18
TE – Gavin Bartholomew, Pitt, 16
AP – Will Shipley, Clemson, 41
AP – Sean Tucker, Syracuse, 38
OT – Zion Nelson, Miami, 41
OT – Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse, 37
OT – Luke Tenuta, Virginia Tech, 27
OT – Tyler Vrabel, Boston College, 25
OT – Bobby Haskins, Virginia, 22
OT – Devin Cochran, Georgia Tech, 15
OG – Will Putnam, Clemson, 45
OG – Joshua Ezeudu, North Carolina, 42
OG – Dillan Gibbons, Florida State, 41
OG – Jake Kradel, Pitt, 37
OG – Lecitus Smith, Virginia Tech, 30
OG – Marcus McKethan, North Carolina, 28
OG – Jacob Monk, Duke, 24
OG – Devontay Love-Taylor, Florida State, 23
OG – Loic Ngassam Nya, Wake Forest, 21
C – Jack Wohlabaugh, Duke, 43
C – Owen Drexel, Pitt, 41
C – Michael Jurgens, Wake Forest, 38
C – Airon Servais, Syracuse, 20
C – Cole Bentley, Louisville, 19
C – Brock Hoffman, Virginia Tech, 17
DE – Rondell Bothroyd, Wake Forest, 49
DE – Marcus Valdez, Boston College, 23
DE – Daniel Joseph, NC State, 22
DE – Deslin Alexandre, Pitt, 19
DT – Robert Cooper, Florida State, 50
DT – Fabien Lovett, Florida State, 48
DT – Jordan Williams, Virginia Tech, 41
DT – Ray Vohasek, North Carolina, 36
DT – Josh Black, Syracuse, 32
DT – Djimon Brooks, Georgia Tech, 15
LB – Dax Hollifield, Virginia Tech, 38
LB – Luke Masterson, Wake Forest, 37
LB – Isaiah Moore, NC State, 35
LB – Baylon Spector, Clemson, 32
LB – C.J. Avery, Louisville, 31
LB – Phil Campbell III, Pitt, 18
LB – Charlie Thomas, Georgia Tech, 16
LB – John Petrishen, Pitt, 15
CB – Tony Grimes, North Carolina, 39
CB – Damarri Mathis, Pitt, 38
CB – Ja’Sir Taylor, Wake Forest, 38
CB – Tyrique Stevenson, Miami, 35
CB – Garrett Williams, Syracuse, 34
CB – Caelen Carson, Wake Forest, 23
CB – Tyler Baker-Williams, NC State, 22
CB – Shyheim Battle, NC State, 20
S – Nolan Turner, Clemson, 52
S – Jaiden Woodbey, Boston College, 43
S – Erick Hallett II, Pitt, 42
S – Chamarri Conner, Virginia Tech, 39
S – Nasir Peoples, Virginia Tech, 37
S – Kenderick Duncan, Louisville, 31
S – Qwynnterrio Cole, Louisville, 23
S – Juanyeh Thomas, Georgia Tech, 23
S – James Williams, Miami, 17
PK – Andy Borregales, Miami, 27
P – Will Spiers, Clemson, 22
SP – Jaylen Stinson, Duke, 43
SP – Cal Adomitis, Pitt, 26

Watch: Notre Dame alumnus Niko Kavadas hits first professional homer

The former Notre Dame slugger has made his mark professionally.

Niko Kavadas was the straw that stirred the lineup of a Notre Dame team that just missed the College World Series. Now, he’s starting to show off his power on the professional level. Kavadas, who signed with the Boston Red Sox after they drafted him in the 11th round, hit his first home run at the next level in his fifth professional game. It came during the Florida Complex League Red Sox’s 11-5 win over the FCL Twins:

Kavadas was a First Team All-American for the Irish in 2021, and he also made First Team All-ACC. The two-time captain’s 22 home runs set a program record and ranked among the national leaders. He hit 0.47 home runs a game to become the national leader in that category and was fourth nationally with 1.36 RBIs a game. He also led the Irish with 64 RBIs, and his .767 slugging percentage ranks second on the program’s single-season list.

Here’s to the beginning of what hopefully will be a long professional career for Kavadas.

Watch: Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa named captain after death of father

A great honor for a Notre Dame player dealing with a personal loss.

This week literally has been both the best and worst of times for Notre Dame defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa. On Thursday, Brian Kelly announced that his fifth-year player was away from the team after he received some devastating news:

However, personal tragedies do not impede good things from happening. With Tagovailoa-Amosa in mourning, his teammates elected him one of seven Notre Dame captains for the 2021 season. He joined the team virtually for the announcement, and he took to Twitter afterwards expressing his gratitude:

Tagovailoa-Amosa was named to the All-ACC Second Team in 2020. Perhaps with that honor as a contributing factor, he was one of six Notre Dame players to make the watch list for the annual Senior Bowl. Whatever the reason, he stands to be a key reason for whatever happens to the 2021 Irish. However, this is the time for him to be with his family, and the excitement for all of the good things that have happened recently can wait.

8 Tigers named to Preseason All-ACC Football Team

Clemson’s football team had eight Tigers named to the Preseason All-ACC Football team, which the conference announced Tuesday morning. In all, Clemson had more players named to the media’s All-ACC Preseason Team than any other school in the …

Clemson’s football team had eight Tigers named to the Preseason All-ACC Football team, which the conference announced Tuesday morning.

In all, Clemson had more players named to the media’s All-ACC Preseason Team than any other school in the conference. Preseason honors were determined by a vote of 147 media members, including several who were credentialed for last week’s ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C.

Six of Clemson’s preseason All-ACC selections came on the defensive side. The Tigers led the conference in total defense last season (326.8 total yards per game) and were second in scoring defense (20.2 points per contest).

Wide receiver Justyn Ross and offensive tackle Jordan McFadden were named to the offense by the media that cover the ACC, while defensive tackles Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis, along with defensive end Myles Murphy, linebacker James Skalski, safety Nolan Turner and cornerback Andrew Booth were named to the defensive team.

Bresee was the only defensive player on the All-ACC team to receive votes for ACC Player of the Year. He led all players in the balloting with 120 votes and record eight votes for Player of the Year. His eight votes were two more than quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who received six votes.

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell was tabbed as the media’s pick to win Player of the Year honors. Howell received 118 votes at the quarterback position to lead all offensive players in the Preseason All-ACC Team balloting. He is joined in the preseason All-ACC backfield by running backs Zonovan Knight of NC State and Mataeo Durant of Duke.

Clemson’s Ross, Boston College’s Zay Flowers and Wake Forest’s Jaquarii Roberson form a potent wideout trio, and Virginia Tech tight end James Mitchell completes the receiving corps. Georgia Tech’s Jahmyr Gibbs was chosen as the all-purpose back.

Ross caught 112 passes for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first two college seasons before missing last season due to injury. Flowers’ nine touchdown catches led all ACC receivers in 2020, and Roberson’s 102.9 receiving yards per game were a league high.

Boston College boasts a pair of preseason All-ACC offensive linemen in center Alec Lindstrom and guard Zion Johnson. They are joined by NC State tackle Ikem Ekwonu, Clemson’s McFadden and North Carolina guard Joshua Ezeudu.

Ross (110 votes) and Flowers (101) joined Howell among the leading vote-getters on the offensive unit.

NC State’s Payton Wilson, who joined Bresee on the 2020 All-ACC team, joins Skalski and Virginia’s Nick Jackson on the preseason All-ACC linebacking corps. Virginia Tech defensive end Amare’ Barno, North Carolina cornerback Tony Grimes and Miami safety Bubba Bolden complete the first-team defense.

Clemson’s Murphy (108 votes) and Miami’s Bolden (100) joined Bresee among defensive players hitting the century mark in the balloting, and NC State’s Wilson received 99 votes.

Wake Forest veteran Nick Sciba (third-most accurate in ACC history with a career field-goal conversion rate of .891) received the nod as placekicker. Preseason All-ACC punter Lou Hedley returns to Miami after ranking second among FBS players with an average of 47.2 yards per kick in 2020. Gibbs was a dual choice at specialist after leading Georgia Tech in all-purpose yards (968) and scoring (seven TDs) in 2020 despite missing three games due to injury.

2021 Preseason All-ACC Football Team

(Total votes in parenthesis)

Offense

QB        Sam Howell, North Carolina (118)

RB        Zonovan Knight, NC State (96)

RB        Mataeo Durant, Duke (49)

WR       Justyn Ross, Clemson (110)

WR       Zay Flowers, Boston College (101)

WR       Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest (80)

TE         James Mitchell, Virginia Tech (77)

AP        Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech (56)

OT        Ikem Ekwonu, NC State (83)

OT        Jordan McFadden, Clemson (53)

OG       Zion Johnson, Boston College (82)

OG       Joshua Ezeudu, North Carolina (56)

C           Alec Lindstrom, Boston College (77)

Defense

DE        Myles Murphy, Clemson (108)

DE        Amare’ Barno, Virginia Tech (63)

DT        Bryan Bresee, Clemson (120)

DT        Tyler Davis, Clemson (53)

LB         Payton Wilson, NC State (99)

LB         James Skalski, Clemson (95)

LB         Nick Jackson, Virginia (37)

CB        Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson (86)

CB        Tony Grimes, North Carolina (55)

S           Bubba Bolden, Miami (100)

S           Nolan Turner, Clemson (85)

Special Teams

PK        Nick Sciba, Wake Forest (69)

P           Lou Hedley, Miami (84)

SP         Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech (60)

Preseason Player of the Year

  1. Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina, 114
  2. D’Eriq King, QB, Miami, 11
  3. Bryan Bresee, DE, Clemson, 8
  4. D.J. Uiagalelei, QB, Clemson, 6
  5. Phil Jurkovec, QB, Boston College, 3
  6. Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College, 2
  7. Jahmyr Gibbs, AP, Georgia Tech, 2

–ACC Communications contributed to this story

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Notre Dame’s Prentiss Hubb, Nate Laszewski earn All-ACC honors

Notre Dame hasn’t had the best season, taking a 10-14 record and No. 11 seed into the ACC Tournament.

Notre Dame hasn’t had the best season, taking a 10-14 record and No. 11 seed into the ACC Tournament. However, there have been some fine individual performances this season. The best of those belong to Prentiss Hubb and Nate Laszewski after they were named to this year’s All-ACC Team. Hubb was named to the Third Team, while Laszewski, who also received votes for the conference’s Most Improved Player Award, made the list as an Honorable Mention.

Hubb has scored at least 20 points five times this season to lead the Irish in that category. He was the ACC assists leader (6.0 a game), led all ACC players with 60 3-pointers during conference play, and was one of five major conference players nationwide to dish out over 100 assists over conference games.

Laszewski showed improvement everyone this past season, increasing his scoring average by 6.4 from last year to 13.8. His shooting percentages from the field and 3-point range increased by 19 and 15 percentage points, respectively.