Blanding, Conte and Kiser Earn Coaches All-ACC

Dec. 8, 2016

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Free safety Quin Blanding, punter Nicholas Conte and inside linebacker Micah Kiser are Virginia’s three players named to 2016 Coaches All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Football team, as announced Thursday by the league’s 14 head coaches. Blanding, Conte and Kiser were named to the first team.

All three players were also named to the Coaches All-ACC team in 2015. Blanding and Kiser were second-team recipients and Conte earned an honorable mention nod. Blanding also earned second-team Coaches All-ACC honors in 2014 as a freshman.

This is the first season UVA has had more than one first-team honoree on the Coaches All-ACC team since the league’s head coaches first voted on a postseason all-league team in 2012.

Blanding (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) ranks No. 2 in the ACC and No. 10 in the nation with 10.0 tackles per game. Blanding recorded 120 tackles in 2016, which ranks No. 7 in the nation. His 10.0 tackles per game average and 120 total tackles are the most in the nation by a defensive back. Blanding has finished No. 2 in the ACC in tackles three seasons in a row, twice behind Kiser. Blanding was also voted first-team All-ACC by the league’s media last week. He has also been named a second-team All-American by the Sporting News and a third-team All-American by College Sports Madness.

Conte (Sr., Roanoke, Va.) ranks No. 1 in the ACC and No. 17 in the nation with a 44.3-yard punting average. He currently ranks No. 1 in the nation with 34 punts inside the 20 and No. 3 in the nation with 23 punts of 50 yards or more. Conte’s career punting average of 44.45 yards per punt is a UVA career record and ranks No. 3 all-time in the ACC record book. Conte was also voted first-team All-ACC by the league’s media last week. Conte was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist and a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation’s Campbell Award. Conte is a member of CoSIDA’s Academic All-District team.

Kiser (Jr., Baltimore, Md.) ranks No. 1 in the ACC and is tied for No. 3 in the nation with 11.2 tackles per game. His 134 total stops rank No. 2 in the nation and is tied with Wali Rainer for the fourth-most single-season tackles in program history. Kiser also ranks No. 4 in the nation in forced fumbles (5) and No. 2 in the ACC and No. 10 in the nation in sacks by a linebacker (6.5). Kiser is a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy. Kiser was also voted first-team All-ACC by the league’s media last week. College Sports Madness named Kiser a third-team All-American.

For the second year in a row Blanding and Kiser finished No. 1 and No. 2 in tackles in the ACC. They were the only duo in 2015 to accomplish the feat among the 10 FBS conferences. TCU’s Travin Howard (1042) and Ty Summers (9.42) join Blanding and Kiser in 2016 as they lead the Big 12 in tackles.

2016 ACC Coaches’ Award Winners and All-ACC Team

(Total votes/points in parenthesis)

Player of the Year

Lamar Jackson, Louisville, QB, So., Louisville (9)

Deshaun Watson, QB, Jr., Clemson (2)

Dalvin Cook, RB, Jr., Florida State (2)

James Conner, Pitt, RB, Jr.-R, Pitt (1)

Offensive Player of the Year

Lamar Jackson, QB, So., Louisville (9)

Deshaun Watson, QB, Jr., Clemson (2)

Dalvin Cook, RB, Jr., Florida State (2)

James Conner, RB, Jr.-R, Pitt (1)

Defensive Player of the Year

Ben Boulware, LB, Sr., Clemson (4)

DeMarcus Walker, DE, Sr., Florida State (4)

Ejuan Price, DE, Sr.-R, Pitt (3)

Christian Wilkins, DE, So., Clemson (2)

Duke Ejiofor, Jr.-R, DE, Wake Forest (1)

Rookie of the Year

Deondre Francois, QB, Fr.-R, Florida State (8)

Dexter Lawrence, DT, Fr., Clemson (4)

Ahmmon Richards, WR, Fr., Miami (1)

Daniel Jones, QB, Fr.-R, Duke (1)

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Deondre Francois, QB, Fr.-R, Florida State (9)

Ahmmon Richards, WR, Fr., Miami (3)

Daniel Jones, QB, Fr.-R, Duke (1)

Dedrick Mills, RB, Fr., Georgia Tech (1)

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Dexter Lawrence, DT, Fr., Clemson (8)

Shaquille Quarterman, LB, Fr., Miami (2)

Joe Jackson, LB, Fr., Miami (2)
Jessie Bates, SS, Fr.-R, Wake Forest (2)

Coach of the Year

Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech (9)

Dabo Swinney, Clemson (4)

Dave Clawson, Wake Forest (1)

First Team Offense

WR Mike Williams, Jr.-R, Clemson (38)

WR Amba Etta-Tawo, Sr.-R, Syracuse (33)

WR Ryan Switzer, Sr., North Carolina (32)

TE Jordan Leggett, Sr., Clemson (29)

T Roderick Johnson, Jr., Florida State (34)

T Adam Bisnowaty, Sr.-R, Pitt (28)

G Dorian Johnson, Sr., Pitt (32)

G Tyrone Crowder, Jr.-R, Clemson (27)

C Jay Guillermo, Sr.-R, Clemson (27)

QB Lamar Jackson, So. Louisville (35)

RB Dalvin Cook, Jr., Florida State (38)

RB James Conner, Jr.-R, Pitt (35)

K Joey Slye, Jr., Virginia Tech (24)

Sp. Quadree Henderson, So., Pitt (32)

Second Team Offense

WR Isaiah Ford, Jr., Virginia Tech (27)

WR Travis Rudolph, Jr., Florida State (18)

WR Artavis Scott, Jr., Clemson (16)

TE Cole Hikutini, Sr., Louisville (19)

T Mitch Hyatt, So., Clemson (27)

T Brian O’Neill, So.-R, Pitt (15)

G Tony Adams, Jr., NC State (19)

G (tie) Danny Isidora, Sr., Miami (17)

G (tie) Kareem Are, Sr.-R, Florida State (17)

C Lucas Crowley, Sr., North Carolina (13)

QB Deshaun Watson, Jr., Clemson (27)

RB Wayne Gallman, Jr.-R, Clemson (26)

RB Matthew Dayes, Sr., NC State (22)

K Greg Huegel, So.-R., Clemson (14)

Sp. Brisly Estime, Sr., Syracuse (17)

Third Team Offense

WR Ahmmon Richards, Fr., Miami (14)

WR James Quick, Jr., Louisville (13)

WR Stacy Coley, Sr., Miami (13)

TE (tie) Jaylen Samuels, Jr., NC State (10)

TE (tie) Bucky Hodges, Jr.-R, Virginia Tech (10)

T Geron Christian, So., Louisville (13)

T (tie) Jonathan McLaughlin, Sr., Virginia Tech (11)

T (tie) Jon Heck, Sr., North Carolina (11)

G Augie Conte, Sr.-R, Virginia Tech (12)

G Kiola Mahoni, Sr., Louisville (10)

C Freddie Burden, Sr.-R, Georgia Tech (10)

QB Mitch Trubisky, Jr.-R, North Carolina (11)

RB Mark Walton, So., Miami (14)

RB Elijah Hood, Jr., North Carolina (13)

K Michael Badgley, Jr., Miami (12)

Sp. Ryan Switzer, Sr., North Carolina (12)

Honorable Mention: Offense (7 or more points):

RB–Brandon Radcliff, Sr., Louisville (7); WR–Bug Howard, Sr., North Carolina (9); Ervin Philips, Jr., Syracuse (8); Quadree Henderson, So., Pitt (7); G– Alex Bookser, So.-R, Pitt (7); Wyatt Teller, Jr.-R, Virginia Tech (7); C–Tobijah Hughley, Sr., Louisville (8); PK–Ricky Aguayo, Fr., Florida State (8); Chris Blewitt, Sr., Pitt (8); Mike Weaver, Jr.-R, Wake Forest (8); SP–Greg Stroman, Jr., Virginia Tech (8).

First Team Defense

DE DeMarcus Walker, Sr., Florida State (31)

DE Ejuan Price, Sr.-R, Pitt (29)

DT Carlos Watkins, Sr.-R, Clemson (36)

DT Derrick Nnadi, Jr., Florida State (24)

LB Ben Boulware, Sr., Clemson (37)

LB Micah Kiser, Jr., Virginia (24)

LB Devonte Fields, Sr., Louisville (19)

CB Tarvarus McFadden, So., Florida State (35)

CB (tie) Cordrea Tankersley, Sr., Clemson (24)

CB (tie) Corn Elder, Sr., Miami (24)

S Jadar Johnson, Sr., Clemson (29)

S Quin Blanding, Jr., Virginia (27)

P Nicholas Conte, Sr., Virginia (32)

Second Team Defense

DE Harold Landry, Jr., Boston College (27)

DE Bradley Chubb, Jr., NC State (22)

DT Dexter Lawrence, Fr., Clemson (21)

DT Woody Baron, Sr., Virginia Tech (19)

LB Andrew Motuapuaka, Jr.-R, Virginia Tech (17)

LB Tremaine Edmunds, So., Virginia Tech (17)

LB Marquel Lee, Sr., Wake Forest (17)

CB Jaire Alexander, So., Louisville (22)

CB Greg Stroman, Jr., Virginia Tech (14)

S Jordan Whitehead, So., Pitt (22)

S Josh Harvey-Clemons, Sr., Louisville (14)

P Justin Vogel, Sr., Miami (28)

Third Team Defense

DE Christian Wilkins, So., Clemson (20)

DE Duke Ejiofor, Jr.-R, Wake Forest (15)

DT DeAngelo Brown, Sr.-R, Louisville (15)

DT Kendrick Norton, So., Miami (8)

LB Ben Humphreys, So., Duke (16)

LB Keith Kelsey, Sr., Louisville (15)

LB Shaquille Quarterman, Fr., Miami (12)

CB Breon Borders, Sr., Duke (9)

CB Des Lawrence, Sr., North Carolina (8)

S Jessie Bates, Fr.-R, Wake Forest (13)

S (tie) Chucky Williams, Sr., Louisville (8)

S (tie) Van Smith, So., Clemson (8)

P Dom Maggio, Fr., Wake Forest (9)

Honorable Mention: Defense: (7 or more points)

DE–Ken Ekanem, Sr.-R, Virginia Tech (8); DT–Justin Jones, Jr., NC State (7); LB–Zaire Franklin, Jr., Syracuse (11); Matt Milano, Sr., Boston College (9); Andre Smith, So., North Carolina (8); Matthew Thomas, Jr.-R, Florida State (8); Joe Giles-Harris, Fr., Duke (8); Jacob Pugh, Jr., Florida State (8); CB–M.J. Stewart, Jr, North Carolina (7); S–Donnie Miles, Jr., North Carolina (7); Terrell Edmunds, So.-R, Virginia Tech (7); Trey Marshall, Jr., Florida State (7); P–Sterling Hofrichter, Fr.-R, Syracuse (7).