My Take: Preseason All-ACC votes

Filing a preseason All-ACC ballot is one of about 17 things to happen around this time of year that signals the end of summer, at least for college football media.

All good things come to an end, hence, summer is over.

I’ll always reveal my ballot on things like this, so this is no exception. Below you’ll find my preseason All-ACC team, predicted order of finish and player of the year picks, with some explainers on my thought process.

The results of the poll will be announced on two days next week: The order of finish will be announced July 26, and then the preseason All-ACC team and player of the year will be July 27.

As a reminder: Anybody credentialed for ACC Kickoff can submit a vote. Some people take it seriously and research; some of them pick favorites and nonsense.

At least we know the ACC isn’t the only league with silly ballots cast, though.

Here was the preseason All-ACC team and the predicted order of finish I submitted this week:

QB – Sam Hartman, WF

RB – Sean Tucker, Syr.

RB – Will Shipley, Clem.

WR – A.T. Perry, WF

WR – Dontayvion Wicks, UVA

WR – Josh Downs, UNC

TE – Marshon Ford, Lou.

All-purpose – Keytaon Thompson, UVA

OT – Jordan McFadden, Clem.

OT – Zion Nelson, Miami

OG – Christian Mahogany, BC

OG – Caleb Chandler, Lou.

C – Grant Gibson, N.C. State

My take: I’ve joked about writing the names of the ACC’s top seven QBs in a hat and pulling out one name, and that’s who would be my pick here.

But come on. I’ve got more respect for a vote that’s literally open to anyone who’s credentialed to ACC Kickoff.

And it’s being way too kind to Kedon Slovis and Jordan Travis.

You can’t go wrong with picking any one of five quarterbacks, in my opinion. Sam Hartman because of last year’s performance and supporting cast? Sure. Devin Leary because of ball security and efficiency? Sold. Malik Cunningham because he’s probably the best open-field runner in the ACC regardless of position? Cool.

Brennan Armstrong because if healthy, he’s going to have the biggest numbers? Bingo. Tyler Van Dyke because he’s the young star-in-the-making set to benefit the most of any ACC team that changed coaches? Absolutely.

I went with Hartman because, simply, he was the second-best QB in the ACC last season behind the league’s player of the year. His 50 total touchdowns last season tied for the second most in league history. And because if you want to get into projections, Hartman has improved every season he’s been at Wake Forest, and his supporting cast this season might be better than it was a year ago.

Running backs and wide receivers were … pretty easy, right? Tucker should be on everybody’s ballot and Shipley, if he stays healthy, could work his way into player of the year discussion.

Picking between Thompson and Zay Flowers for all-purpose was a toss-up; I went with Thompson because of how versatile he can be deployed.

The offensive line picks are where the Pro Football Focus subscription really comes in handy.

DE – Myles Murphy, Clem.

DE – Rondell Bothroyd, WF

DT – Bryan Bresee, Clem.

DT – Calijah Kancey, Pitt.

LB – Drake Thomas, N.C. State

LB – Payton Wilson, N.C. State

LB – SirVocea Dennis, Pitt.

CB – Kei’Trel Clark, Lou.

CB – Duce Chestnut, Syr.

S – Andrew Mukuba, Clem.

S – Jammie Robinson, FSU

Special teams:

K – B.T. Potter, Clem.

P – Lou Hedley, Miami

Returner – Jaylen Stinson, Duke

My take: It’s a bit strange that we get 13 positions to pick on offense and only 11 on defense, but here we go.

The defensive line is always difficult. Clemson’s monsters feel like they have to be on there; if they’re healthy, they’ll be two of the best defensive players in the ACC regardless of position.

Kancey (and the rest of Pitt’s D-line) was impressive in person at the ACC championship game last season. And Bothroyd gets the not-so-obvious nod with the revelation that he’s been playing the last two seasons with a labrum injury that was repaired with offseason surgery.

Linebackers were tougher to pick than defensive line. You could make a team of Mikel Jones (Syr.), Trenton Simpson (Clem.) and Yasir Abdullah (Lou.), and get no argument from me. I went into this thinking it was going to be a sweep of N.C. State’s corps, but Dennis means too much to Pitt in the middle to be left off.

This is a strange collection of defensive backs. Clark feels obvious for corners but I thought about 6-7 players for the other spot. I landed on Chestnut because the completion percentage on passes to his target was 56.7% and he’s got a nose for the ball.

Mukuba is a pick based on anticipated growth as much as last year’s production, when he had 54 tackles and nine PBUs as a freshman. Robinson did a bit of everything for FSU last season and his value and versatility isn’t matched by any other safety in the ACC.

The special teams picks are shoehorned in there, but: Hedley is the easy one, he’s been the best punter in the ACC. Potter was better from 40-plus (12-14) than he was from 30-39 yards (5-8), which has to get cleaned up.

1. Clemson

2. Wake Forest

3. N.C. State

4. Louisville

5. Boston College

6. Florida State

7. Syracuse

My take: Clemson is the pick because I’m too scared to go out on the limb.

No, not really, it just feels a little like that.

Clemson is the most-talented team in the league, I don’t think there’s any denying that. Last year was an off year and the Tigers won 10 games amid a rash of injuries and with poor quarterback play for only the second season in the last … maybe 10 years, or longer?

I don’t see the stars aligning against Clemson so much this season. I think the coordinator shakeup turns out to be a net positive, and I think we see the DJ Uiagalelei that we saw in spot duty in 2020 return, which puts the Tigers over the top.

In the same vein, I think Wake’s defensive coordinator change helps – but I’m still skeptical of whether the Deacons can move the ball for four quarters against Clemson. Defenses with strong tackles and linebackers don’t yield yards to Wake’s offense, and Clemson’s middle is as stout as it gets.

The Law of the Wolf (h/t Joe Giglio of WRAL) scares me with N.C. State. This is the “when you expect the most, you get the least” side of things.

Louisville, BC and Florida State are all capable of getting individual or one-unit performances that can knock off any of the top three teams in the division.

I think Syracuse, like the team that finishes last in the Coastal, will have a new coach by December.

1. Miami

2. Pitt

3. Virginia

4. UNC

5. Virginia Tech

6. Duke

7. Georgia Tech

My take: My oh my, how boring this is.

Miami with a rising star QB, strong offensive line and athletic skill position players is just too tantalizing to pick Pitt or Virginia, though. The hype train on Tyler Van Dyke has gotten off the rails in the last couple of months, but it’s the supporting cast that makes me believe he’ll hit some of the lofty expectations attached to him.

The division could very well come down to the final Saturday of the season, with that being Pitt’s trip to Miami. In a toss-up between the top two teams, I’m going with the QB who has a bright future rather than the one with a bright 2019.

Virginia is a sleeper to win this division and its schedule sets up similar to Wake’s last season: Relatively easy path to 6-0, but after that it’s dicey.

I’m not going to be fooled on UNC again, though sheer talent puts them in the middle of the projection here.

I’ve done my part to set up first-year coaches Brent Pry (VT) and Mike Elko (Duke) for coach of the year votes at season’s end if they’ve got their teams at or above .500.

Clemson

My take: For a lot of what’s explained above, I see Clemson returning to power this season.

The new coordinators are what give me reason to pause; the raw talent available to Brandon Streeter (offensive) and Wes Goodwin (defensive) is what convinces me that’s not a big enough factor to pick somebody else as the ACC favorite.

The good news for Wake Forest, N.C. State and the rest of the Atlantic Division is that there won’t be an Atlantic Division next season.

Sam Hartman, WF

My take: A point that I keep coming back to: Wake’s offense should be improved from last season, when Hartman became the third player in league history to account for 50 touchdowns.

Wake’s offense basically lost three key players – left tackle Zach Tom, slot receiver Jaquarii Roberson and running back Christian Beal-Smith. Tom will be replaced by Je’Vionte’ Nash, a starter before suffering a season-ending injury last summer; Roberson’s production won’t be matched by one player, but Taylor Morin and Ke’Shawn Williams are both dynamite in the slot; and running back is a position where Wake Forest lost a Heisman candidate and kept humming along last season.

Throw in anticipated development and growth, and Hartman is in line for another historic season.