For the second consecutive year, Georgia Tech was shut out of the preseason All-ACC team, announced by the league Wednesday. Preseason honors were determined by a vote of 176 media members, including those who were credentialed for the ACC Football Kickoff in July.
Tech did not have a player selected to the preseason team in 2022, either, and hasn’t had a player voted onto the All-ACC preseason team in four of the past five years. Jahmyr Gibbs, who transferred to Alabama to finish his career and is now playing for the Detroit Lions, was voted the league’s preseason all-purpose player of the year in the 2021 preseason.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 5-7 season and 4-4 mark in league play.
Clemson led all programs with seven players on the 27-member team. Florida State followed with four selections, while North Carolina had three picks, including sophomore quarterback Drake Maye, who was voted the ACC preseason Player of the Year. Maye was named 2022 ACC Player of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year.
Maye comes off a record-setting season in his first year as the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback. He passed for 3,847 yards and 35 touchdowns to go with 629 yards rushing and six rushing TDs.
Clemson, which was picked by the media as the likely conference champion in the ACC preseason poll released Tuesday, placed a balanced contingent on the preseason All-ACC team with two players on offense and four on defense, in addition to running back Will Shipley at specialist.
The preseason team features 10 returning first-team All-ACC honorees from the 2022 season, including Shipley, who was named preseason All-ACC at running back, all-purpose and specialist.
2023 preseason All-ACC team
(Votes received in parentheses)
QB: Drake Maye, North Carolina (107)
RB: Will Shipley, Clemson (169)
RB: Trey Benson, Florida State (125)
WR: Johnny Wilson, Florida State (117)
WR: Tez Walker, North Carolina (51)
WR: Jalon Calhoun, Duke (49)
TE: Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse (89)
AP: Will Shipley, Clemson (105)
OT: Graham Barton, Duke (110)
OT: Matt Goncalves, Pitt (58)
OG: Christian Mahogany, Boston College (101)
OG: Javion Cohen, Miami (69)
C: Bryan Hudson, Louisville (56)
DE: Jared Verse, Florida State (136)
DE: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College (58)
DT: Tyler Davis, Clemson (124)
DT: DeWayne Carter, Duke (97)
LB: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson (132)
LB: Cedric Gray, North Carolina (109)
LB: Barrett Carter, Clemson (87)
CB: Fentrell Cypress II, Florida State (88)
CB: Aydan White, NC State (85)
S: Kam Kinchens, Miami (117)
S: Andrew Mukuba, Clemson (46)
PK: Andres Borregales, Miami (70)
P: Daniel Sparks, Virginia (54)
SP: Will Shipley, Clemson (68)
Preseason Player of the Year
1. Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (88)
2. Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State (66)
3. Will Shipley, RB, Clemson (17)
4. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson (3)
T5. Riley Leonard, QB, Duke (1)
T5. Tyler Davis, DT, Clemson (1)
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