No. 6. Quan Sturdivant, LB, UNC
2009 numbers: He led the team with 79 tackles, and was second with 12 tackles for loss, and one sack. He had one fumble recovery and one forced fumble, and also had three pass breakups and six quarterback hurries.
Most recent ranking: No. 12
Making the case for Sturdivant: Entering his fourth season as a starter, Sturdivant should be one of the top outside linebackers in the ACC. He’s a fast, instinctive player who lined up at both middle and outside linebacker last year. He has good speed and is rarely out of position. While teammate Bruce Carter gets much of the attention for his freakish athleticism, it’s Sturdivant who has been the most productive and was a first-team all-conference selection last year. He’s the leader of the group and makes all of the defensive calls.
No. 7 Russell Wilson, QB, NC State
No. 8 Joshua Nesbitt, QB, Georgia Tech
No. 9 Rodney Hudson, LG, Florida State
No. 10 Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
No. 11 Allen Bailey, DE, Miami
No. 12 (tie) S Deunta Williams, CB Kendric Burney, UNC
No. 13 Bruce Carter, LB, North Carolina
No. 14 Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
No. 15 Brandon Harris, CB, Miami
No. 16 Jacory Harris, QB, Miami
No. 17 Tyrod Taylor, QB, Virginia Tech
No. 18 Donovan Varner, WR, Duke
No. 19 Alex Wujciak, LB, Maryland
No. 20 Montel Harris, RB, Boston College
No. 21 Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland
No. 22 Greg Reid, CB, Florida State
No. 23 Anthony Allen, RB, Georgia Tech
No. 24 Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia
No. 25 Mark Herzlich, LB, Boston College
