Just 2 Notre Dame Football Players Make Pre-Season All-ACC Team

Notre Dame’s one year foray into membership of the ACC for football means that the Irish are not only eligible for the ACC’s bowl and playoff tie-ins, but its players are also eligible for ACC conference awards and accolades. When the All-ACC team was announced earlier today though, just two Notre Dame football players cracked the pre-season team: offensive guard Aaron Banks and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Here is the full team as voted on my 138 members of the media covering ACC teams.

Offense
WR – Tamorrion Terry, Florida State (100)
WR – Tutu Atwell, Louisville (96)
WR – Dazz Newsome, North Carolina (75)
TE – Brevin Jordan, Miami (77)
AP – Michael Carter, North Carolina (82)
OT – Jackson Carman, Clemson (64)
OT – Ben Petrula, Boston College (61)
OG – Zion Johnson, Boston College (78)
OG – Aaron Banks, Notre Dame (34)
C – Jimmy Morrissey, Pitt (80)
QB – Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (131)
RB – Travis Etienne, Clemson (133)
RB – Javian Hawkins, Louisville (80)

Defense
DE – Carlos Basham Jr., Wake Forest (89)
DE – Patrick Jones II, Pitt (37)
DT – Marvin Wilson, Florida State (108)
DT – Tyler Davis, Clemson (75)
LB – Chazz Surratt, North Carolina (106)
LB – Rayshard Ashby, Virginia Tech (66)
LB – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame (47)
CB – Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State (90)
CB – Derion Kendrick, Clemson (85)
S – Paris Ford, Pitt (62)
S – Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State (56)

Special Teams
PK – Nick Sciba, Wake Forest (69)
P – Trenton Gill, NC State (43)
SP – Damond Philyaw-Johnson, Duke (48)

ACC Player of the Year

1. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson – 100
2. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson – 30
3. Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina – 1
4. Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina – 1
5. Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame – 1
6. Carlos Basham Jr., DE, Wake Forest – 1

It is interesting that of the five returning starters on the offensive line for Notre Dame, Banks is the one the ACC media voted for the most since amongst Notre Dame fans/media, Banks is considered more like the fourth best lineman just on the Irish roster. Considering this is the first time Notre Dame players are eligible for All-ACC honors though, it’s a bit understandable that the ACC media isn’t as familiar with Notre Dame players as the rest of the players in the conference.

It is no surprise that Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah was included though. JOK is a projected 1st-round NFL draft pick already and is primed for a monster year following a breakout performance in the Camping World Bowl in December.

Assuming a full season is completed, I would imagine there will be more representation for Notre Dame in the end of year All-ACC team. Kyle Hamilton will certainly be in the mix. Ade Ogundeji and Daelin Hayes could be as well. Any of Notre Dame’s other offensive linemen could find their way onto that team as well. So too could Tommy Tremble. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Braden Lenzy was their either if he develops as expected this year – especially with Kevin Austin out for a while.

Will all of them, make it? No way. But there are a lot of returning players on the Irish roster this year that are expected to make big jumps so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if any of those players played their way to All-ACC status by the end of the year.