Athlon's preseason All-ACC teams include eight Louisville Cardinals
Yesterday, Athlon Sports released its preseason All-ACC teams, and eight Louisville Cardinals made the cut.
On top of sophomore running back Isaac Brown being named a Second Team All-American, Athlon expectedly had Brown as an all-conference first teamer. He was the ACC’s Rookie and Offensive Rookie of the Year last season after rushing for 100 or more yards five times, including 178 in the regular season finale against Kentucky, and was the first true freshman in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards. The Homestead, Florida, native has established himself as one of the best running backs in the entire country.
Brown is joined on the preseason First Team All-ACC by wide receivers Caullin Lacy and Chris Bell.
Bell, the 6-foot-2 senior, started all 13 games in 2024, totaling 43 receptions for 737 yards and four touchdowns. He surged late in the season, having at least 60 receiving yards in each of the last four games of the season. Bell’s numbers have gradually climbed over the course of his three years in Louisville, and it looks like that trend will continue. Lacy sat out and redshirted the final five games of his first season in Louisville; he never gained full physical ability back in the regular season after suffering a broken collarbone in training camp. In his limited time on the turf last year, the South Alabama transfer impressed, as he’s expected to this year. A true weapon in the open field, the slot receiver returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Miami (FL), and he even returned for Louisville’s Sun Bowl victory over Washington, where he received and rushed a touchdown.
Redshirt senior center Pete Nygra joins Bell, Brown, and Lacy on Athlon’s preseason First Team All-ACC. Nygra was one of two offensive linemen to start all 13 games last season.
On the second team, there was linebacker Stanquan Clark, who finished second on the team in tackles last year (76) and had five games of seven or more tackles. He was named All-ACC Honorable Mention as a Sophomore, and Clark is primed to lead Louisville’s defense.
The other half of Louisville’s monster backfield duo, Duke Watson, was named to the third team, making the Cardinals the only ACC team with two running backs on he list. The Forsyth, Georgia, native led the nation, averaging a ridiculous 8.9 yards per carry.
To round it out, Clev Lubin, the only incoming transfer on the list, was named to the fourth team along with T.J. Quinn on the defensive line. Quinn led the Cards in tackles for the past two seasons, and Lubin got to the quarterback for 9.5 sacks last year at Coastal Carolina. The two are expected to be major playmakers for Louisville on the defensive end.
Louisville is slated to participate in the ACC Football Kickoff on Wednesday, July 23, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
