Taylor Headlines Virginia’s 15 All-ACC Honorees

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia tailback J’Mari Taylor has been named one of 15 Virginia football players to garner all-conference recognition, following a vote by designated ACC media members and each of the league’s 17 head coaches. 

UVA’s 15 selections are the program’s most in a season since the 1996 team boasted 16 honorees. This year also marks the fifth straight in which UVA was represented on the league’s first-team list. 

Taylor, who began his career as a walk-on at North Carolina Central, is the first UVA tailback since Alvin Pearman in 2004 to earn First Team All-ACC honors. He claimed the league’s regular-season rushing title with 997 yards and led all ACC tailbacks with 14 rushing touchdowns. He has three 100-yard rushing performances this season (150 at NCSU, 133 at Duke, 105 at Cal), the most by a Cavalier tailback in a season since 2018. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Taylor is also only the seventh player in school history to rush for at least 14 TDs in a season and first since 2010. He scored game-winning touchdowns in overtime in road contests at both North Carolina (Oct. 25) and Louisville (Oct. 4), both of which occurred on direct snaps. 

Center Brady Wilson and punter Daniel Sparks were named second-team selections. Wide receiver Trell Harris, offensive linemen McKale Boley and Noah Josey, linebacker Kam Robinson and safety Devin Neal nabbed third-team honors. Chandler Morris (QB), Sage Ennis (TE), Cam Ross (AP), Mitchell Melton (DE), Jahmeer Carter (DT), Ja’son Prevard (CB) and Will Bettridge (PK) were named to the honorable mention list. 

Sparks joins legendary UVA punter Will Brice as one of two punters in school history to earn All-ACC status at least three times (2022, 2024 and 2025). Robinson collected his second All-ACC honor, having been named an honorable mention recipient last year. Neal was a third-team recipient while at Louisville in 2023. 

The ACC’s individual awards – Player of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year – will be announced on Wednesday (Dec. 3). The Coach of the Year will be announced on Thursday (Dec. 4). 

Up next, the Cavaliers (10-2, 7-1 ACC) chase their first outright ACC title against Duke (7-5, 6-2 ACC) in the 2025 championship game — a rematch of their Nov. 15 matchup in Durham. Kickoff from Bank of America Stadium is set for 8 p.m. on ABC, the Virginia Sports Radio Network and ESPN Radio. 

Virginia’s 10 wins are tied for the program’s single-season record. The Cavaliers also finished the regular season alone atop the league standings for the first time in program history. Virginia is ranked No. 16 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 and No. 18 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, which were released Nov. 25. 

Virginia’s All-ACC Selections 

First Team
RB – J’Mari Taylor 

Second Team
C – Brady Wilson
P – Daniel Sparks  

Third Team
WR – Trell Harris
OT – McKale Boley
OG – Noah Josey
LB – Kam Robinson
S – Devin Neal

Honorable Mention
QB – Chandler Morris
TE – Sage Ennis
AP – Cam Ross
DE – Mitchell Melton
DT – Jahmeer Carter
CB – Ja’son Prevard
PK – Will Bettridge