Attendees Announced for 2022 ACC Football Kickoff
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Wednesday the 42 student-athletes who will attend the 2022 ACC Football Kickoff, July 20-21, at The Westin Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. For the second consecutive year, each of the league’s 14 teams will bring three players to the annual event.
ACC Network will broadcast live from the ACC Football Kickoff. The two days of expansive coverage will begin at 9 a.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday and the 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports will provide the event’s most robust television coverage to date.
Among the offensive players in attendance at ACC Kickoff will be nine quarterbacks, seven offensive linemen, four wide receivers, two tight ends and two running backs. Defensively, eight linebackers are scheduled to attend, along with seven defensive linemen and three defensive backs.
Four of the quarterbacks at this year’s event ranked among the ACC’s top five in passing yards per game last season – Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong (first, 404.5 yards per game), Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman (third, 302 ypg), Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke (fourth, 293.1 ypg) and NC State’s Devin Leary (fifth, 286.1 ypg).
Hartman threw 39 touchdown passes in 2021 to rank second in the conference and leads returning ACC quarterbacks this season. Leary threw for 35 touchdowns last fall and Armstrong for 31.
The ACC continued to establish itself as the Conference of Quarterbacks in 2021, and many of the leading players return this season. Armstrong ranked fourth nationally in total passing yards (4,449) while Hartman (4,228) ranked seventh. Hartman’s 39 touchdown passes tied for fifth nationally, and Leary’s 35 TD passes ranked 10th. Armstrong stood second nationally in total yards per game (427.3), and Hartman (327.9) placed seventh. Louisville’s Malik Cunningham led the league with 20 rushing touchdowns, while also averaging 218.5 yards passing. Boston College’s Phil Jurkovec (255.8 passing ypg in 2021), Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei (15 career starts; 196.5 total offense/game in 2021), Florida State’s Jordan Travis (14 career starts, holds school career record for QB rushing yards and rushing touchdowns) and Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader (14 rushing TDs in 2021) round out the quarterback contingent at media day.
North Carolina’s Josh Downs, who led the league in receptions per game and was second in receiving yards per game, is among the Tar Heels’ three representatives. Georgia Tech’s Dylan Leonard and Miami’s Will Mallory – two of the league’s top tight ends – will attend the event in Charlotte.
Four of the top 10 and six of the top 18 tacklers from last year will be in Charlotte, including Virginia’s Nick Jackson, who led the league with 117 stops (9.8 per game). Syracuse linebacker Mikel Jones (2nd, 9.3 per game), NC State’s Drake Thomas (4th, 8.3) Duke’s Shaka Heyward (6th, 8.2 per game), Florida State’s Jammie Robinson (10th, 7.1), Virginia Tech’s Dax Hollifield (11th, 7.0 per game) and Pitt’s SirVocea Dennis (18th, 6.7 per game) also will attend ACC Kickoff. Linebacker Yasir Abdullah, the league’s returning leader in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (17.5), will represent Louisville.
The ACC Kickoff student-athletes hail from 18 states with eight from Florida, seven from North Carolina and six from Georgia. Three call the commonwealth of Virginia home, with two each from Ohio, Connecticut and New Jersey. Eleven states are each represented by one player, along with Quebec, Canada (Syracuse offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron).
The complete list of 2022 ACC Football Kickoff student-athletes include:
Boston College
Head Coach Jeff Hafley
Josh DeBerry, DB, Grosse Point Park, Michigan
Zay Flowers, WR, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Phil Jurkovec, QB, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Clemson
Head Coach Dabo Swinney
K.J. Henry, DE, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Jordan McFadden, OT, Spartanburg, South Carolina
DJ Uiagalelei, QB, Inland Empire, California
Duke
Head Coach Mike Elko
DeWayne Carter, DT, Pickerington, Ohio
Shaka Heyward, LB, Dacula, Georgia
Jacob Monk, OL, Clayton, North Carolina
Florida State
Head Coach Mike Norvell
Fabien Lovett, DT, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Jammie Robinson, DB, Cordele, Georgia
Jordan Travis, QB, West Palm Beach, Florida
Georgia Tech
Head Coach Geoff Collins
Dylan Leonard, TE, Milton, Georgia
Dontae Smith, RB, Spring Hill, Tennessee
Zamari Walton, DB, Melbourne, Florida
Louisville
Head Coach Scott Satterfield
Yasir Abdullah, LB, Miramar, Florida
Caleb Chandler, OG, Jefferson, Georgia
Malik Cunningham, QB, Montgomery, Alabama
Miami
Head Coach Mario Cristobal
Jahfari Harvey, DE, Port St. Lucie, Florida
Will Mallory, TE, Jacksonville, Florida
Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Glastonbury, Connecticut
North Carolina
Head Coach Mack Brown
British Brooks, RB, Gastonia, North Carolina
Josh Downs, WR, Suwanee, Georgia
Ray Vohasek, DT, McHenry, Illinois
NC State
Head Coach Dave Doeren
Devin Leary, QB, Sicklerville, New Jersey
Isaiah Moore, LB, Chester, Virginia
Drake Thomas, LB, Wake Forest, North Carolina
Pitt
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi
Deslin Alexandre, DL, Pompano Beach, Florida
SirVocea Dennis, LB, Syracuse, New York
Carter Warren, OT, Paterson, New Jersey
Syracuse
Head Coach Dino Babers
Matthew Bergeron, OL, Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada
Mikel Jones, LB, Miami, Florida
Garrett Shrader, QB, Charlotte, North Carolina
Virginia
Head Coach Tony Elliott
Brennan Armstrong, QB, Shelby, Ohio
Nick Jackson, LB, Atlanta, Georgia
Keytaon Thompson, FBP, New Orleans, Louisiana
Virginia Tech
Head Coach Brent Pry
Silas Dzansi, OL, Woodbridge, Virginia
Dax Hollifield, LB, Shelby, North Carolina
Kaleb Smith, WR, Bumpass, Virginia
Wake Forest
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Rondell Bothroyd, DL, Manchester, Connecticut
Sam Hartman, QB, Charlotte, North Carolina
Michael Jurgens, OL, Damascus, Maryland