All-ACC Football
Deacs Land 14 on All-ACC Football Team
12/3/2019 9:34:00 AM | Football
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest placed a school record 14 players on the 2019 All-ACC football team that was announced today by the league office. The Demon Deacons were represented by three players on the first team including wide receiver Sage Surratt, defensive end Carlos "Boogie" Basham, Jr., and placekicker Nick Sciba.
Punter Dom Maggio was a second team selection while wide receiver Kendall Hinton, left tackle Justin Herron, right guard Nate Gilliam and cornerback Essang Bassey were all third team picks.
Wake Forest had six players earn honorable mention in quarterback Jamie Newman, tight end Jack Freudenthal, right tackle Jake Benzinger, center Zach Tom, linebacker Justin Strnad and safety Nasir Greer.
Wake Forest's 14 honored players exceeds the previous season-high of 12 selected following the 2017 season. The three first team picks marks the first time since 2008 that the Deacons have had a trio of players named to the top unit.
Surratt ended the regular season as the ACC leader in receiving yards with a school record 111.2 yards per game. He was a four-time ACC Receiver of the Week and leads the nation with four games with 150 or more receiving yards. Surratt started each of the first nine games of the season before suffering a season-ending injury against Virginia Tech on Nov. 9.
Basham is second in the ACC in tackles for loss with 17 and third in the league with 10 sacks. He was the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 16. He recorded a season-high 2.5 sacks in games against Duke and North Carolina.
Sciba set an NCAA record by converting 34 consecutive field goals including 23 straight in 2019. He finished the regular season making 24 of 25 field goal attempts and is the ACC leader in kick scoring with 9.7 points per game. His 116 points scored this year is a Wake Forest record.
Maggio finished second in the ACC in punting average at 46.8 yards per punt. That is the second best average in a season in school history, trailing only Ryan Plackemeier's 47.2 average in 2005.
Hinton was Wake Forest's go-to receiver in the second half of the season. He finished the regular season with 70 receptions for 953 yards and three touchdowns and is second in the ACC in receiving yards per game and third in receptions per game. He had a season-high 189 receiving yards vs. Duke and his 252 all-purpose yards vs. the Blue Devils was the most by an ACC player this season.
Herron is a four-year starter at left tackle for the Deacons and has tied the school record with 50 career starts. On the season, he graded out at 90 percent and posted 21 knockdown blocks. A team captain, Herron made an outstanding recovery after missing the 2018 season following major knee surgery. Herron was a third team All-ACC selection in 2017 as well.
Gilliam is a two-year starter who graded out at 88 percent in 2019. He had 20 knockdown blocks and did not allow a sack all season as Wake Forest ranked fourth in the ACC in fewest sacks allowed. Gilliam was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following the Deacons' win over Duke on Nov. 23.
Bassey earned All-ACC honors for the third consecutive year after being named honorable mention in 2017 and second team in 2018. He was second on the team with nine pass break-ups and added an interception while serving as a team captain in 2019.
Newman finished the regular season ranked second in the ACC in total offense at 289.1 yards per game, the second-highest mark in school history. He threw for 2,693 yards with 23 touchdowns while adding 487 yards rushing.
Freudenthal, a team captain, is a two-year starter at tight end who caught 31 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns in 2019. He tied the school record for touchdown receptions in a game when he grabbed three scoring passes in a 44-10 win over NC State on Nov. 2.
Benzinger was on the field for 927 snaps during the regular season and graded out at 88 percent with 12 knockdown blocks. He earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl and helped Wake Forest eclipse the 600-yard mark in total offense in a school record three games this season.
Tom started at center in all 12 regular season games in 2019 and graded out at 92 percent while not allowing a sack. His play helped Wake Forest lead the ACC in passing offense and finish second in total offense.
Strnad, a team captain, was Wake Forest's team leader with 69 tackles and a starter in each of the first eight games before suffering a season-ending injury. Strnad finished with 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He was a member of the Bednarik Award Watch List and his 15 tackles against North Carolina were the most by a Demon Deacon in a game this season. It is Strnad's second honor having earned honorable mention in 2018.
Greer recorded 65 tackles this season as Wake Forest's starter at safety. He was named the ACC Defensive Back of the Week following Wake Forest's 24-18 win over North Carolina as he compiled 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the win over the Tar Heels.
With an 8-4 record, Wake Forest posted its first eight-win season since 2007. Wake Forest's senior class has won 30 games during its career and has become the first class in school history to win seven or more games in each of its four seasons. Wake Forest has gained bowl eligibility for a fourth consecutive year and will learn its bowl destination on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Punter Dom Maggio was a second team selection while wide receiver Kendall Hinton, left tackle Justin Herron, right guard Nate Gilliam and cornerback Essang Bassey were all third team picks.
Wake Forest had six players earn honorable mention in quarterback Jamie Newman, tight end Jack Freudenthal, right tackle Jake Benzinger, center Zach Tom, linebacker Justin Strnad and safety Nasir Greer.
Wake Forest's 14 honored players exceeds the previous season-high of 12 selected following the 2017 season. The three first team picks marks the first time since 2008 that the Deacons have had a trio of players named to the top unit.
Surratt ended the regular season as the ACC leader in receiving yards with a school record 111.2 yards per game. He was a four-time ACC Receiver of the Week and leads the nation with four games with 150 or more receiving yards. Surratt started each of the first nine games of the season before suffering a season-ending injury against Virginia Tech on Nov. 9.
Basham is second in the ACC in tackles for loss with 17 and third in the league with 10 sacks. He was the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 16. He recorded a season-high 2.5 sacks in games against Duke and North Carolina.
Sciba set an NCAA record by converting 34 consecutive field goals including 23 straight in 2019. He finished the regular season making 24 of 25 field goal attempts and is the ACC leader in kick scoring with 9.7 points per game. His 116 points scored this year is a Wake Forest record.
Maggio finished second in the ACC in punting average at 46.8 yards per punt. That is the second best average in a season in school history, trailing only Ryan Plackemeier's 47.2 average in 2005.
Hinton was Wake Forest's go-to receiver in the second half of the season. He finished the regular season with 70 receptions for 953 yards and three touchdowns and is second in the ACC in receiving yards per game and third in receptions per game. He had a season-high 189 receiving yards vs. Duke and his 252 all-purpose yards vs. the Blue Devils was the most by an ACC player this season.
Herron is a four-year starter at left tackle for the Deacons and has tied the school record with 50 career starts. On the season, he graded out at 90 percent and posted 21 knockdown blocks. A team captain, Herron made an outstanding recovery after missing the 2018 season following major knee surgery. Herron was a third team All-ACC selection in 2017 as well.
Gilliam is a two-year starter who graded out at 88 percent in 2019. He had 20 knockdown blocks and did not allow a sack all season as Wake Forest ranked fourth in the ACC in fewest sacks allowed. Gilliam was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following the Deacons' win over Duke on Nov. 23.
Bassey earned All-ACC honors for the third consecutive year after being named honorable mention in 2017 and second team in 2018. He was second on the team with nine pass break-ups and added an interception while serving as a team captain in 2019.
Newman finished the regular season ranked second in the ACC in total offense at 289.1 yards per game, the second-highest mark in school history. He threw for 2,693 yards with 23 touchdowns while adding 487 yards rushing.
Freudenthal, a team captain, is a two-year starter at tight end who caught 31 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns in 2019. He tied the school record for touchdown receptions in a game when he grabbed three scoring passes in a 44-10 win over NC State on Nov. 2.
Benzinger was on the field for 927 snaps during the regular season and graded out at 88 percent with 12 knockdown blocks. He earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl and helped Wake Forest eclipse the 600-yard mark in total offense in a school record three games this season.
Tom started at center in all 12 regular season games in 2019 and graded out at 92 percent while not allowing a sack. His play helped Wake Forest lead the ACC in passing offense and finish second in total offense.
Strnad, a team captain, was Wake Forest's team leader with 69 tackles and a starter in each of the first eight games before suffering a season-ending injury. Strnad finished with 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He was a member of the Bednarik Award Watch List and his 15 tackles against North Carolina were the most by a Demon Deacon in a game this season. It is Strnad's second honor having earned honorable mention in 2018.
Greer recorded 65 tackles this season as Wake Forest's starter at safety. He was named the ACC Defensive Back of the Week following Wake Forest's 24-18 win over North Carolina as he compiled 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the win over the Tar Heels.
With an 8-4 record, Wake Forest posted its first eight-win season since 2007. Wake Forest's senior class has won 30 games during its career and has become the first class in school history to win seven or more games in each of its four seasons. Wake Forest has gained bowl eligibility for a fourth consecutive year and will learn its bowl destination on Sunday, Dec. 8.
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