CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Virginia's McKale Boley (offensive line), Noah Josey (offensive line), Kam Robinson (linebacker) and Daniel Sparks (punter) have been named to the All-ACC Preseason Football Team, the conference office announced Wednesday (July 29). The quartet was selected by media members attending the 2026 ACC Football Kickoff.
Virginia's four preseason All-ACC selections are the most in program history since the league began announcing a preseason all-conference team in 2005.
A 2026 Phil Steele First Team Preseason All-ACC selection, Boley enters his fifth season at UVA with 36 career starts, including an active streak across his last 22 appearances. Against Stanford last year, Boley produced the highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) pass blocking grade (91.9) and the second-highest overall grade (91.1) of any offensive lineman in the country in Week 4, when the Cavaliers tallied 590 yards of total offense. For his efforts, he was also named ACC Lineman of the Week.
Josey, a 2026 Phil Steele Second Team Preseason All-ACC selection, leads all active UVA players with 43 career starts, all of which have come in his last 43 appearances. Josey delivered the lead block that sprung former UVA tailback J’Mari Taylor for a touchdown on a direct snap in overtime of its 30-27 win at Louisville last year.
Last season, Boley and Josey helped UVA’s offense achieve its best rushing output (178.7) since 2004.
A 2026 Phil Steele First Team Preseason All-ACC selection, Robinson led the Cavaliers in tackles per game (8.0) last season before suffering a season-ending injury in UVA’s eighth game of the season, a 34-17 win at Duke. He became the only FBS player in the last 20 years to record a blocked punt, an interception return for touchdown and a fumble recovery in the same season (according to Sports-Reference.com). Against Washington State, Robinson also recorded a late-game safety to break a tied score and proved to be the game-winning score.
Sparks, a Phil Steele Second Team Preseason All-ACC honoree, is the ACC’s top returning punter. He set the program’s single-season average of 47.2 yards per boot in 2025 and enters the 2026 season as the program’s current career leader (44.8). He also set the program’s single game record with an average of 53 yards per punt in UVA’s 22-20 dramatic comeback over Washington State last season.
Additionally, the ACC announced Tuesday (July 28) that Virginia, the league's only team to post a 7-1 conference record last season, was picked to finish sixth in the 2026 preseason poll.
Virginia opens the 2026 season by hosting NC State on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 3:30 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN.
The ACC enters the 2026 season as the league begins its transition to a nine-game conference schedule. The season culminates with the 2026 ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 5, at noon on ABC.