Athlon Sports became the latest publication to put out its preseason All-America team Monday, and not surprisingly there is major ACC representation across the board.
Perhaps most notably, Athlon has Jameis Winston as its first-team quarterback. Why is this notable? College football guru Phil Steele has Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota as his first-team All-America quarterback, ahead of Winston. Steele also has Mariota as his top Heisman candidate headed into the season, with Winston at No. 2. It certainly will be interesting to see how the competition between them plays out, especially since they are widely considered the top two quarterbacks in the country.
As for the other players featured on both All-America teams, Athlon and Steele only differ on a few ACC first-team players aside from Winston. Athlon has Florida State safety Jalen Ramsey on its first team, while Steele does not; Steele has Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman on his first team, while Athlon has him on its fourth team. Steele also listed Florida State's Kermit Whitfield as his first-team kick returner, while Athlon had him on the third team.
Looking at both teams, there is no denying there is major talent at Florida State once again. And there is no denying the ACC has the top special-teams players in the country. Athlon features Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo and North Carolina punt returner Ryan Switzer on its first team, while also giving nods to Whitfield, Duke's DeVon Edwards (fourth-team kick returner) and Jamison Crowder (second-team punt returner) and Virginia Tech's A.J. Hughes (fourth-team punter).
In all, the ACC has eight players on the Athlon first team, tied with the Pac-12 for the most in the country. Overall, 27 ACC players are listed on the Athlon All-America first-, second-, third- and fourth-teams -- more than any other league.
