Phil Steele releases Preseason All-ACC Teams ahead of 2025 season

The 2025 college football is right around the corner, which means another season of exciting ACC action is upon us. New additions to the league have been given a year to adjust to the new landscape, and fans are eagerly anticipating how the finals rankings shake up.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Phil Steele has released its preseason All-ACC teams including first, second, third and fourth-team honors. Here’s how the list shapes up.

Quarterback

1st team: Cade Klubnik, Clemson

2nd team: Kevin Jennings, SMU
3rd team: Carson Beck, Miami
4th team: Haynes King, Georgia Tech

2024 was Klubnik’s second season as Clemson’s starting quarterback, where he finished the season with over 3,600 passing yards and impressively, 36 touchdowns compared to six interceptions. His QBR (78.7) was ranked 12th-best in the country at the end of the season.

Running Back

1st team: Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh; Isaac Brown, Louisville

2nd team: Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech; Demond Claiborne Wake Forest
3rd team: Mark Fletcher, Miami; Hollywood Smothers, NC State
4th team: Davion Gause, North Carolina; Gideon Davidson, Clemson

Reid nearly rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2024 while also totaling over 500 yards receiving out of the backfield, proving himself as one of the most versatile players in the conference. Isaac Brown took the ACC by storm as a freshman, rushing for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns across 165 carries. The Louisville tailback averaged 7.1 yards per carry last season.

Wide Receiver

1st team: Antonio Williams, Clemson; Caullin Lacy, Louisville; Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech

2nd team: Duce Robinson, Florida State; Jordan Hudson, SMU; Bryant Wesco, Clemson
3rd team: Malik Rutherford, Georgia Tech; Kenny Johnson, Pitt; Chris Bell, Louisville
4th team: CJ Daniels, Miami; Darrell Gill, Syracuse; Noah Rogers, NC State

Antonio Williams is coming off the best season of his career and will be looking to log his first 1,000-yard receiving season before moving on to the next level. Caullin Lacy was a massive get for Louisville out of the transfer portal in 2024. Injuries kept him from being talked about during award season, but was a 1,300-yard receiving talent during his final season at South Alabama. Eric Rivers transferred to Georgia Tech after spending two seasons at FIU. In 2024, Rivers caught 12 touchdown passes and finished the year with 1,172 yards.

Tight End

1st team: Justin Joly, NC State

2nd team: RJ Maryland, SMU
3rd team: Sam Roush, Stanford
4th team: Benji Gosnell, Virginia Tech

Joly caught 43 passes for 661 yards and four touchdowns last season — good for 15.4 yards per catch. Spending his first two seasons at UConn, Joly has amassed 1,489 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches since beginning his college career.

Center

1st team: Pete Nygra, Louisville

2nd team: Lyndon Cooper, Pitt
3rd team: Addison Nichols, SMU
4th team: Brady Wilson, Virginia

If Isaac Brown is expected perform like a first-team All-ACC preseason running back, he’ll need a couple of all star offensive linemen paving the way for him. Pete Nygra provides just that.

Offensive Guard

1st team: Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech; Anez Cooper, Miami

2nd team: Logan Parr, SMU; Logan Taylor, Boston College
3rd team: Daniel King, North Carolina; Walker Parks, Clemson
4th team: Simione Pale, Stanford; Justin Pickett, Duke

Both Rutledge and Cooper were three-star recruits coming out of high school, but have worked their way up to preseason All-ACC honors ahead of the 2025 season. Both Georgia Tech and Miami are expected to have strong rushing attacks this fall.

Offensive Tackle

1st team: Blake Miller, Clemson; Brian Parker, Duke

2nd team: Tomas Rimac, Virginia Tech; Francis Mauigoa, Miami
3rd team: McKale Boley, Virginia; Jacarrius Peak, NC State
4th team: PJ Williams, SMU; Micah Pettus, Florida State

Blake Miller and Brian Parker are both considered two of the top offensive tackles that college football has to offer in 2025. Both are expected to provide advanced protection to the outside for this squads this season.

Defensive End

1st team: TJ Parker, Clemson; Rueben Bain, Miami

2nd team: Wesley Williams, Duke; Jimmy Scott, Pitt
3rd team: Akheem Mesidor, Miami; Clev Lubin, Louisville
4th team: Will Heldt, Clemson; Isaiah Smith, SMU

TJ Parker terrorized quarterbacks last season, posting 11 sacks while forcing six fumbles. In just two seasons, he was 16.5 sacks to his name. Bain’s second season was marred with injury and wasn’t able to suit up until October. Healthy, he gets a fresh start this fall.

Defensive Tackle

1st team: Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech; Peter Woods, Clemson

2nd team: Darrell Jackson, Florida State; Brandon Cleveland, NC State
3rd team: David Blay, Miami; DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
4th team: Rene Konga, Louisville; Aidan Keanaaina, Cal

van den Berg is in his second season with the Yellow Jackets after playing three years for Penn State. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder missed time with injury last season but still turned in his best statistical season yet. Meanwhile, Woods is just as disruptive with 18 solo tackles and three sacks last season.

Linebacker

1st team: Kyle Louis, Pitt; Wade Woodaz, Clemson; Cade Uluave, Cal; Sean Brown, NC State

2nd team: Kyle Efford, Georgia Tech; Rasheem Biles, Pitt; Sammy Brown, Clemson; Stanquan Clark, Louisville
3rd team: Daveon Crouch, Boston College; Dylan Hazen, Wake Forest; Tre Freeman, Duke; Caden Fordham, NC State
4th team: TJ Quinn, Louisville; Caleb Woodson, Virginia Tech; Wesley Bissainthe, Miami; James Jackson

Louis did a little bit of everything for Pittsburgh during his sophomore season, tallying 100 total tackles, seven sacks and four interceptions in 2024. Woodaz also turned in his best season yet in 2024, totaling 82 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. Uluave played in just nine games but still recorded 71 tackles last season, and Brown is back for year five after recording a career-best 96 tackles for the Wolfpack in 2024.

Cornerback

1st team: Chandler Rivers, Duke; Avieon Terrell, Clemson

2nd team: OJ Frederique, Miami; Thaddeus Dixon, North Carolina
3rd team: Jeremiah Wilson, Florida State; Rashad Battle, Pitt
4th team: Ahmari Harvey, Georgia Tech; Davaughn Patterson, Wake Forest

Chandler Rivers has been a steady presence for Duke since he arrived on campus in 2022. His consistency has seen him record at least 50 tackles, six PBUs and one interceptions each season. Rivers’ three picks in 2024 were a career-high. Terrell tallied an impressive 12 PBUs in 2024. He also forced three fumbles and recorded two picks.

Safety

1st team: Terry Moore, Duke; Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU

2nd team: Ahmaad Moses, SMU; Khalil Barnes, Clemson
3rd team: KP Price, Boston College; Nick Anderson, Wake Forest
4th team: Antonio Clary, Virginia; Zechariah Poyser, Miami

Moore has been used in multiple was in the Duke lineup since joining the program in 2022. He’s played defense, returned kicks and punts and even ran the football a number of times during his freshman season in the ACC. Nwokobia was a 100-tackle performer in 2024. He also logged three PBUs and three interception. In 2023, he had two pick-six’s on the season and has nine total interceptions across four seasons.

Specialists

K: (1st team) Collin Rogers, SMU; (2) John Love, Virginia Tech; (3) Noan Hauser, Clemson; (4) Emmet Kenney, Stanford
P: (1st team) Daniel Sparks, Virginia; (2)Jack Stonehouse, Clemson; (3) Kade Reynoldson, Duke; (4) Marshall Nichols, Georgia Tech
KR: (1st team) Keelan Marion, Miami; (2) Samuel Singleton, Florida State; (3) Chris Johnson, SMU; (4) Cam Ross, Virginia
PR: (1st team) Desmond Reid, Pitt; (2) Jacob de Jesus, Cal; (3) Que’Sean Brown, Duke; (4) Antonio Williams, Clemson
LS: (1st team) Holden Caspersen, Clemson; (2) Curtis Cooper, Duke; (3) Spencer Triplett, North Carolina; (4) Mason Arnold, Florida State

Desmond Reid returns as the leading candidate to repeat as specialist of the year in the ACC. He was used as a punt returner on 13 occasions during 2024, but was mostly used as a versatile player out of the Panthers’ backfield. He totaled well over 1,000 yards of all-purpose offense in 2024, scoring 10 total times last season.