Louisville's Chandler, Clark Named to Preseason All-ACC Team

GREENSBORO, N.C. - One day removed being voted to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division according to a preseason poll of 164 media member across the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Louisville football program received more preseason recognition from the league.

The ACC announced their 27-member 2022 All-ACC Preseason Football Team on Wednesday, with offensive guard Caleb Chandler and cornerback Kei'Trel Clark both being named.

Chandler has already received plenty of recognition this preseason. The 6-foot-4, 313-pound lineman has received preseason All-American honors from Sporting News, Walter Camp, Phil Steele and Athlon Sports; while also getting named to the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy.

He helped the Cardinals average 209.8 yards on the ground per game, with the overall offense finishing the season averaging 446.2 yards - which was 21st in FBS - and 31.6 points per game. Chandler was voted as a First Team All-ACC selection for his efforts, and was also named as on of the top 101 players from the 2021 season according to Pro Football Focus.

Clark has also been shown some preseason love, getting named to the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound defensive back tore his left ACL in Louisville's game at NC State on Oct. 30, but despite missing a sizable chunk of the season, the sophomore corner was still one of the more productive defensive backs in the ACC.

His nine pass breakups finished tied for second in the conference, as did his three interceptions, and he finished atop the league in passes defended per game (1.33) by a wide margin. He also finished with 40 tackles and 3.5 for loss.

Quarterback Malik Cunningham did not make the Preseason All-ACC Team, but did tie for sixth place in Preseason Player of the Year voting. NC State quarterback Devin Leary took home that honor.

Last season, Louisville was able to get back to a bowl, but fell 31-28 in the First Responder Bowl vs. Air Force en route to going 6-7 on the season and 4-4 in the ACC. Head coach Scott Satterfield guided the Cardinals to an 8-5 record during his first year at the helm in 2019, but has been 10-14 in the two years since.

Louisville will begin the 2022 season with a conference matchup, traveling up to New York for a matchup at Syracuse. Kickoff is scheduled for for Saturday, Sept. 3 at 8:00 p.m.

(EDIT/)

2022 Preseason All-ACC Football Team

(Total votes in parenthesis)

QB Devin Leary, NC State (56)
RB Sean Tucker, Syracuse (125)
RB Will Shipley, Clemson (112)
WR Josh Downs, North Carolina (128)
WR A.T. Perry, Wake Forest (111)
WR Zay Flowers, Boston College (104)
TE Will Mallory, Miami (69)
AP Keytaon Thompson, Virginia (70)
OT Jordan McFadden, Clemson (127)
OT Zion Nelson, Miami (82)
OG Caleb Chandler, Louisville (104)
OG Christian Mahogany, Boston College (67)
C Grant Gibson, NC State (90)

DE Myles Murphy, Clemson (120)
DE Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt (54)
DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson (116)
DT Calijah Kancey, Pitt (62)
LB Drake Thomas, NC State (92)
LB Trenton Simpson, Clemson (82)
LB Payton Wilson, NC State (60)
CB Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville (70)
CB Josh DeBerry, Boston College (65)
S Jammie Robinson, Florida State (93)
S Tanner Ingle, NC State (63)

PK B.T. Potter, Clemson (99)
P Lou Hedley, Miami (101)
SP Josh Downs, North Carolina (57)

Preseason Player of the Year

1. Devin Leary, QB, NC State (40)
2. Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest (30)
3. Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami (21)
4. Bryan Breese, DT, Clemson (14)
4-t. Brennan Armstrong, QB, Virginia (14)
6-t. Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville (12)
6-t. Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina (12)
8. Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse (11)
9. Myles Murphy, DT, Clemson (5)
10. Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson (3)
11. Jammie Robinson, S, Florida State (2)

(Photo of Caleb Chandler: Michael Wade - Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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