Duke's Marquis Waters Upset over All-ACC Snub
The ACC announced its all-conference teams, and three Blue Devils were honored in the voting.
A total of 46 media members (including Blue Devils Country) and the league’s 15 head coaches participated in the voting.
Defensive end Chris Rumph II was voted to the second team. Safety Michael Carter II was chosen for the third team, and defensive end Victor Dimukeje was honorable mention.
Former Blue Devils safety Marquis Waters took to Twitter to protest being left off the All-ACC teams.
“I can’t believe my eyes right now,” Waters tweeted. “I woke up seeing some BS this morning”
“I’m saying what’s going on…” he said in a follow-up tweet. “I’ve easily been the best safety this season hands down. 3 years in a row, ACC done played on my top.”
“People gettin chosen for their hype or Production?” he asked in a third tweet, finishing by tweeting, “I swear I don’t get the credit I deserve.”
Waters, who has since transferred to Texas Tech, ranked 21st in the ACC with 71 tackles, 6.5 per game. He had 46 solo stops, seven tackles for loss, one sack and five pass defenses. Waters didn’t have an interception, forced fumble or fumble recovery.
Divine Deablo of Virginia Tech and Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton were chosen for first team All ACC.
Clemson’s Nolan Turner, Miami’s Bubba Bolden and Pitt’s Damar Hamlin made the second team.
Third teamers were Carter, who has since declared for the NFL Draft, and Wake’s Nick Anderson.
Honorable mention safeties were Notre Dame’s Shaun Crawford, Clemson’s Lanndon Sanders and UNC’s Trey Morrison.
Nine of the 10 safeties honored had at least one interception. Deablo had four. Anderson and Turner had three. Five of the safeties forced or recovered fumbles, led by Bolden’s four.
Bolden (twice), Anderson, Crawford and Hamlin were all honored as ACC Defensive Back of the Week this season.
Duke finished last in the league in run defense and 13th in pass efficiency defense. All of the honored safeties—except Carter—were on teams ranked in the top nine.
