The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its 2010 All-Conference football players Monday, with four Wolfpack players drawing first or second-team honors and two more garnering honorable mention recognition. Quarterback Russell Wilson received two fewer voting points than first-teamer Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech, while a pair of his teammates in junior tight end George Bryan and senior linebacker Nate Irving were named to the first team. Joining Wilson on the second team was his favorite target throughout the season, senior wide receiver Owen Spencer. Two players who did not quite qualify for either the first or second team were redshirt junior defensive tackle J.R. Sweezy and senior offensive tackle Jake Vermiglio. Vermiglio led all honorable mention honorees with 34 voting points, while Sweezy received just seven fewer voting points than Maryland DT Joe Vellano.
For Bryan, it marks the second consecutive year he has been named first-team all-conference. This season he hauled in 32 receptions for 344 yards and three touchdowns a year after making 40 receptions and six touchdowns.
Bryan is joined on this year’s first team by senior linebacker Nate Irving, who sat out all of 2009 after sustaining life-threatening injuries in a preseason car accident. Irving led his team with 93 tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss. More impressive than Irving’s statistics was his impact on a defense that clearly missed his presence throughout 2009. With Irving at middle linebacker, the defense gave up 22.5 points per game a season after giving up 30 or more points in seven of eight games against ACC opponents. The defense also made tremendous strides in terms of rushing the passer, as it is third in the nation with 40 sacks a year after recording only 24. In 2008, Irving’s 84 tackles and four interceptions in only eight starts earned him honorable mention all-conference recognition. Coming off his breakout sophomore season, Irving was a preseason All-ACC linebacker before injuries stemming from the car wreck ended his season before it started.
Wilson received just two fewer voting points than Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor, the first-team signal caller. Wilson threw for ACC-bests 3,288 yards and 26 touchdowns and also ran for 394 yards and nine touchdowns. Wilson has accounted for 101 touchdowns, 74 passing and 27 running in his career, with a bowl game still left to be played before his junior year is complete.
In his fourth and final season with the Pack, Spencer remained a deep threat and also developed as an all-around wide receiver. Spencer led his team in 2010 in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, with 868 yards receiving and four touchdowns on 57 receptions. He finished fifth in the conference in receiving yards and eighth in yards per catch, with 15.2, a year after leading the nation with 25.5 yards per catch. The mark of 25.5 yards per catch in 2009 broke his own conference record in that category, which he set in 2008, when he averaged 22.3 yards per reception. His average of 72.3 yards per game this season showed his continued progress in that department, as he averaged 53.2 yards per game as a sophomore and 69.5 as a junior.
Vermiglio was named honorable mention All-ACC after playing 815 snaps without surrendering a sack. Of the six players recognized, if anyone had a breakout season, it was Sweezy. From the defensive tackle position, he led the Pack with six sacks and recorded 13 tackles for loss, which was good enough for second, behind only Irving, one of the nation’s leaders in that category. He also finished tops among all Wolfpack defensive linemen with 46 total tackles. He racked up those numbers just one season after starting only one game.
