Wake Forest Athletics
Steve Justice and Sam Swank Named Preseason All-ACC
7/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 25, 2007
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest's Steve Justice and Sam Swank were named to the 2007 Preseason All-ACC Football Team, as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon. The team was voted upon by media attending the ACC Football Kickoff at Pinehurst earlier this week.
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.
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan was named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, out-distancing Virginia Tech running back Branden Ore for the honor.
