HUGHES: Preseason All-ACC Football Ballot

Since ACC Kickoff wrapped up over a week ago, I felt it was an opportune time to share what my ballot for the Preseason All-ACC team and my All-ACC Preseason Player of the Year was. Here's the look and some brief thoughts from yours truly:

Preseason All-ACC Team (First Team):

[Note: The preseason ballot had us vote for a 13-player team, consisting of one quarterback, two running backs, three wideouts, one tight end, one all-purpose player, two offensive tackles, two offensive guards, a center, two defensive ends, two defensive tackles, three linebackers, two corners, two safeties, a place kicker, a punter and a specialist.

My projections for All-ACC Second Team and All-ACC Third Team in the preseason are my own personal opinion and meant to give a glimpse as to who did not crack my ballot for the Preseason All-ACC Team. The projected order of finish for the conference drops July 28, while the picks for the All-ACC Preseason Team and the Preseason Player of the Year drop one day later on July 229)

Quarterback: Darian Mensah (Miami)
Running backs: Isaac Brown (Louisville), Mark Fletcher (Miami)
Wide receivers: Duce Robinson (Florida State), Malachi Toney (Miami), Cooper Barkate (Miami)
Tight end: Luke Reynolds (Virginia Tech)
Offensive tackle: McKale Boley (Virginia), PJ Williams (SMU)
Offensive guard: Noah Josey (Virginia), Addison Nichols (SMU)
Center: Drake Metcalf (Virginia)
Defensive end: Melkart Abou Jaoude (North Carolina), Clev Lubin (Louisville)
Defensive tackle: Kemari Copeland (Virginia Tech), Ahmad Moten (Miami)
Linebackers: Sammy Brown (Clemson), Kam Robinson (Virginia), Matt Rose (Stanford)
Cornerback: Ashton Hampton (Clemson), Xavier Lucas (Miami)
Safety: Corey Myrick (Clemson), Koen Entringer (Miami)
Kicker: Aidan Birr (Georgia Tech)
Punter: Dylan Joyce (Miami)
All-Purpose: Malachi Toney (Miami)

Thoughts: Virginia's offensive line appears well-poised to land a majority of its starters on the All-ACC First Team. Its O-line returns 161 career starts and over 11,000 snaps.

Elsewhere, I think Kemari Copeland will ascend from his Third-Team ranking last season. He recently broke Virginia Tech's all-time bench press record, setting a new high mark with a 510-pound rep. At quarterback, I believe Miami's Darian Mensah is the nod. He earned Second-Team All-ACC honors a season ago and with a larger reservoir of talent at his disposal, he should lead an ACC-contending unit.

As for the wide receivers, I believe it'll be Toney at the top, followed by the imposing 6-foot-6 Robinson. An argument could be made for including Toney's teammate Cooper Barkate, but for now, I have him occupying an All-ACC Second Team slot.

All-ACC Second Team

[Note: This shifts back to an 11-player team.]

Quarterback: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (California)
Running backs: Justice Haynes (Georgia Tech), Marcellous Hawkins (Virginia Tech)
Wide receivers: Cam Vaughn (Miami), Ian Strong (California)
Tight end: Brody Foley (Louisville)
Offensive tackle: Ethan Mackenny (Georgia Tech), Jimarion McCrimon (NC State)
Offensive guard: Andrew Chamblee (SMU), BJ Williams (Pitt)
Center: Josh Bates (SMU)
Defensive end: Will Heidt (Clemson), Damon Wilson (Miami)
Defensive tackle: Justin Scott (Miami), Katron Evans (NC State)
Linebackers: Kyle Effort (Georgia Tech), Braylan Lovelace (Pitt), Mohamed Toure (Miami)
Cornerback: Bryce Fitzgerald (Miami), Jaquez White (Virginia Tech)
Safety: Omar Thornton (Miami), Davaughn Patterson (Wake Forest)
Kicker: John Love (Virginia Tech)
Punter: Daniel Sparks (Virginia)

Thoughts: White was named Second-Team All-Sun Belt at Troy, and now in a Power Four league, I think he has the talent and knowhow to replicate that. I could be argued into vaulting Sparks up into the All-ACC First Team at punter; for me, Joyce takes the cake right now, but I'm not closed to moving the Virginia punter up to First-Team by season's end.

I flitted with placing one of CJ Bailey or Kevin Jennings on the Second Team, but I have Jennings on my Preseason Third-Team and Bailey as a de-facto Honorable Mention due to Jennings' tenure in the ACC and his proven production at SMU the past two seasons. As for Sagapolutele, he flashed last season, compiling nearly 3,500 yards through the air. If he can upgrade his effort in year two, I think he could be primed for a standout sophomore season.

All-ACC Third Team

Quarterback: Kevin Jennings (SMU)
Running backs: Jekail Middlebrook (Virginia), Kendrick Raphael (SMU)
Wide receivers: Bryant Wesco (Clemson), Que'Sean Brown (Virginia Tech)
Tight end: Jeremiah Hasley (Duke)
Offensive tackle: Brayden Jacobs (Clemson), Monroe Mills (Virginia)
Offensive guard: Malachi Carney (Georgia Tech), Spike Sowells (NC State)
Center: Harrison Sewell (Clemson)
Defensive end: Fisher Camac (Virginia), Langston Hardy (Wake Forest)
Defensive tackle: Markus Strong (Clemson), Jason Hammond (Virginia)
Linebackers: Brandon Booker (SMU), Stanquan Clark (Louisville), Chris Jones (Florida State)
Cornerback: Marcellus Barnes (SMU), Shawn Lee (Pitt)
Safety: Brandyn Hillman (Virginia), King Mack (NC State)
Kicker: Sam Hunsaker (Pitt)
Punter: Kade Reynoldson (Duke)

Thoughts: I debated between Brown and Ayden Greene for Virginia Tech, but opted to go with the Duke transfer based on his proven production for the Blue Devils (846 receiving yards, five touchdowns at Duke in 2025) and his speed. Elsewhere, I opted to go with SMU's Kevin Jennings over a signal-caller like CJ Bailey based more off pure production to this point oin college. I do think that Bailey could vault up into All-ACC consideration if he has a season that surpasses 2025.

All-ACC Player of the Year

I decided on Miami's Malachi Toney as my player of the year. Toney paced the nation with 109 receptions as a true freshman, and paired with 1,211 receiving yards (fifth in FBS) and 10 receiving touchdowns (joint-12th in FBS) plus a potentially more potent quarterback in Duke transfer, Darian Mensah, it feels as if Toney is primed for a stellar sophomore season.

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