8 Clemson players named to Preseason All-ACC team; Pitt shut out

Clemson is one of 14 teams in the ACC, but eight Tigers players comprise 30% of the 27-man All-ACC preseason football team, announced Tuesday by the conference.

Also, North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell was voted the favorite to win ACC Player of the Year in an overwhelming vote of confidence from a panel of 147 media members. Howell received 114 votes, far beyond the runner-up, Miami quarterback D’Eriq King (11).

Five other players received POY votes: Clemson defensive tackle Bryian Bresee (eight) and quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei (six), Pine-Richland graduate and Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec (three), BC wide receiver Zay Flowers (two) and Georgia Tech all-purpose back Jahmyr Gibbs (two).

Pitt is one of four teams without a representative on the All-ACC team. Syracuse, Louisville and Florida State are the others. The Panthers will get ample opportunity to prove themselves when they meet three of the four quarterbacks who received POY votes (all except Jurkovec) in a 20-day period between Oct. 23 and Nov. 11.

Clemson, the preseason favorite to win the conference championship for the seventh consecutive year under coach Dabo Swinney, placed six defensive players on the team, led by Bresee, a sophomore and 2020 Freshman All-American who received 120 votes (the most of any player). He is joined by teammates Myles Murphy (defensive end), Tyler Davis (defensive tackle), James Skalski (linebacker), Nolan Turner (safety) and Andrew Booth Jr. (cornerback). Uiagalelei and wide receiver Justyn Ross are the two Tigers offensive players named to the team.

Howell has thrown 68 career touchdown passes (an ACC record for a player through a sophomore season). He was the leading vote-getter on offense (118), followed by Ross (110) and Flowers (101).

Here is the entire team (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)

All-Purpose — Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech (56)

OT — Ikem Ekwonu, NC State (83)

OT — Jordan McFadden, Clemson (53)

G — Zion Johnson, Boston College (82)

G — 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)

PK — Nick Sciba, Wake Forest (69)

P — Lou Hedley, Miami (84)

Specialist — Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech (60)