Wake Forest Athletics
Five Deacons Named to All-ACC Academic Team
1/25/2021 2:01:00 PM | Football
This marks the fifth-consecutive season Wake Forest has placed four or more players on the team
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Five members of the Wake Forest football team have been named to the All-ACC Academic team, as announced by the league office on Monday.
This marks the fifth-consecutive year the Demon Deacons have had four more members on the All-Academic team and the second consecutive season five players garnered honors.
The five Deacs include freshman defensive back Nick Andersen, redshirt freshman wide receiver Taylor Morin, redshirt senior defensive back Traveon Redd, junior kicker Nick Sciba and redshirt junior offensive lineman Zach Tom.
"This is an outstanding honor for these five young men and I am extremely proud of the hard work all our student-athletes put in the classroom last fall," head coach Dave Clawson said. "Our staff is grateful for the efforts of Jane Caldwell and the entire academics staff for their leadership in assisting our players. Additionally, this is a reflection of the great professors and University faculty members we have at Wake Forest."
This is the second-consecutive season Tom has been placed on the team. Additionally, Andersen and Sciba were both named to the All-ACC team
The Deacs continued to build on their own program record, reaching a fifth-straight bowl game. That mark is the third-longest streak in the ACC, trailing just Clemson and Miami (FL). The month of October saw the Demon Deacons go a perfect 4-0, marking the first time since the 2007 season a Wake Forest team had accomplished that feat. The run included a three-game ACC winning streak and was highlighted by a 23-16 victory over No. 18 Virginia Tech.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in the selection process.
Not Your Average Walk-on
Nick Andersen ranks second on the team in tackles with 55 total on the season while leading the Demon Deacons with three interceptions
He became the first Wake Forest player since 1987 to have three or more interceptions in a single game on Oct. 24 against No. 19 Virginia Tech. He was also the first ACC player to have three or more interceptions since Louisville's Gerod Holliman in 2014. He is just the fourth player in program history to have three or more interceptions and is the first true freshman to do so.
After the performance, Andersen was named Jim Thorpe National Player of the Week, Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week, Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and College Sports Madness National Defensive Player of the Week.
He led the team in tackles in three games including double-digit tackling performances against No. 19 Virginia Tech and Louisville.
Kick Sciba
Sciba's 12 consecutive field goals made rank second nationally, leads the ACC and trails the nation's leader by just one.
The Lou Groza semifinalist has not missed a field goal since Oct. 2.
The Clover, S.C. is the most accurate kicker in ACC history (min. 50 attempts), hitting 57-of-64 (.891) in his three seasons. He goes into the Duke's Mayo Bowl needing just 38 points to become the all-time leading scorer in program history.
Anchor on the Offensive Line
Tom graded out at 93 percent, the highest among the Deacs' offensive linemen, allowing just one sack all season. Over the course of his career, he has allowed just one sack with nearly 2,000 career snaps.
Additionally, he is a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll while also making the Dean's List four times during his time at Wake Forest (Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, & Spring 2020).
Redd Alert
Redd finished his redshirt senior season fourth on the team in tackles with 46 while also adding in an interception and 4.5 tackles for loss.
Against NC State, he posted a career-best and team-high 10 tackles while also having a career-best 1.5 tackles for loss. It started a streak of four straight tackles for loss.
He also recorded his first career interception against Campbell on Oct. 2.
Morin Magic
The redshirt freshman had a dynamic season for the Deacs both in the slot and as a punt returner.
As a receiver he ended his freshman campaign with 32 receptions for 405 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He had a season-long 46-yard catch to set up a touchdown in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
As a punt returner, his 9.6 yards per punt return ranked third in the ACC.
