Three Eagles Named to Preseason All-ACC Team

Jeff Hafley is a defensive-minded head coach, but, right now, Boston College’s biggest names are on the other side of the ball. That was emphasized Tuesday morning when three returning starters earned spots on the Preseason All-ACC Team.

Wide receiver Zay Flowers, offensive guard Zion Johnson and center Alec Lindstrom received recognition as BC was one of four ACC teams with at least three honorees. The others were Clemson, North Carolina and North Carolina State.

Clemson blew every other program out of the water with eight selections, six of whom are defensive players. Yet UNC has the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, quarterback Sam Howell, who threw for 3,586 yards and 30 touchdowns last season. Miami’s D’Eriq King finished a distant second in the voting, while Clemson and BC both had two players in the running.

Eagles signal caller Phil Jurkovec and Flowers snagged three and two votes, respectively, for the award. Clemson defensive end Bryan Bresee was the lone defensive player to get votes for the Player of the Year accolade. He ended up in third with eight nominations.

Here’s a look at the complete Preseason All-ACC Team and the Player of the Year voting:

(Total votes in parenthesis)

QB Sam Howell, UNC (118)

RB Zonovan Knight, N.C. State (96)

RB Mataeo Durant, Duke (49)

WR Justyn Ross, Clemson (110)

WR Zay Flowers, BC (101)

WR Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest (80)

TE James Mitchell, Virginia Tech (77)

AP Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech (56)

OT Ikem Ekwonu, N.C. State (83)

OT Jordan McFadden, Clemson (53)

OG Zion Johnson, BC (82)

OG Joshua Ezeudu, UNC (56)

C Alec Lindstrom, BC (77)

DE Myles Murphy, Clemson (108)

DE Amare’ Barno, Virginia Tech (63)

DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson (120) DT Tyler Davis, Clemson (53)

LB Payton Wilson, N.C. State (99) LB James Skalski, Clemson (95)

LB Nick Jackson, UVA (37) CB Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson (86)

CB Tony Grimes, UNC (55) S Bubba Bolden, Miami (100)

S Nolan Turner, Clemson (85)

PK Nick Sciba, Wake Forest (69)

P Lou Hedley, Miami (84)

SP Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech (60)

Preseason Player of the Year

1. QB Sam Howell, UNC (114)

2. QB D’Eriq King, Miami (11)

3. DE Bryan Bresee, Clemson (8) 4. QB DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson (6)

5. QB Phil Jurkovec, BC (3)

T-6. WR Zay Flowers, BC (2)

T-6. AP Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech (2)

As for BC’s three honorees, Flowers headlines the group after leading the ACC with nine touchdown receptions in 2020. He added another score on the ground but did most of his work downfield, racking up 892 receiving yards, good for 18th nationally. The speedy Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native reeled in six touchdown catches of 20-plus yards last fall.

Lindstrom has collected his fair share of preseason accolades as well, following a redshirt junior campaign in which he registered the second-highest pass blocking grade (85.1) among Power Five centers, according to Pro Football Focus. Lindstrom did struggle in the run game, however, he’ll get another go at it in the second year of offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.’s zone scheme.

Same thing goes for Zion Johnson, who made the move from left guard—where he earned ACC O-Lineman of the Week honors three times in 2019—to left tackle last season. He accounted for two sacks and seven quarterback hits in 2020, in addition to 18 hurries and 27 pressures, both team highs, per PFF. That said, he improved as the season progressed. Johnson closed the year with the fourth-best pass blocking grade (68.4) and the top run blocking score (76.1) on the team.