2007 preseason All-ACC football team announced

Posted Thursday, July 26, 2007

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Greensboro, NC - Boston College senior quarterback Matt Ryan has been selected as the Pre-Season ACC Football Player of the Year in voting by media attending the annual ACC Football Kickoff at Pinehurst earlier this week.

Ryan, the 2006 All-ACC quarterback, received 31 votes in the balloting. Virginia Tech junior running back Branden Ore was second, being named on 21 ballots.

Those two players head up the 2007 Pre-Season All-ACC Football Team as voted on by the media at the Kickoff. Ten of the conference's 12 schools were represented on that squad. Virginia Tech led all teams with five players selected.

Two North Carolina ACC schools had players on the team.

NCSU Wolfpack

Wolfpack seniors Darrell Blackman and DeMario Pressley were both named to the 2007 Preseason All-ACC football team. Blackman, a wide receiver, was selected as a specialist for returns, while Pressley, a defensive tackle, picked up a defensive spot.

A native of Williamsport, Pa., Blackman ranks first in State history in career kickoff return average with a 28.63 mark. His 1,145 yards in kickoff returns is the fourth-best mark ever by an NC State player. Blackman also boasts 542 yards in career punt returns, the fifth-best mark in school history, and his 9.5 career average is tied for 10th in the record books. His 2,742 career all-purpose yards ranks 14th on the NC State career list.

The most experienced lineman on the 2007 squad, Pressley's 1,112 career plays ranks second on the entire team. Hailing from Greensboro, N.C., he has started the last 23 games in which he's played, the longest streak on the team and more than double any other player.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake Forest's Steve Justice and Sam Swank were named to the 2007 Preseason All-ACC Football Team

Justice, a fifth-year senior, was the Preseason All-ACC selection at center. The Port Orange, Fla. native earned first team All-ACC honors in 2006. He is on the 2007 Outland Trophy watch list, an award given to college football's best offensive or defensive lineman.

Justice started all 14 games at center in 2006 and tied for the team lead with 843 snaps out of 861, almost 98 percent of all offensive plays. Justice earned a team-leading season grade of 92 percent, tallying 65.5 knockdowns on the year.

Swank, a fourth-year junior, was selected as Preseason All-ACC at both placekicker and punter. In 2006, Swank was named first team All-ACC as a kicker and honorable mention All-ACC as a punter. The Jacksonville Beach, Fla. native also earned first team All-American honors from Sports Illustrated and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza and Ray Guy Awards in 2006. He was selected as the ACC Championship Game MVP after leading the Demon Deacons to a 9-6 victory over Georgia Tech.

Swank set 11 new school records during his sophomore campaign last season. He led all ACC kickers in scoring and was third among all players in the conference. Swank tied the NCAA record for most 50-yard field goals in a game, making three at NC State on Oct. 14. He was just the sixth player in NCAA history to accomplish the feat.