Deacs Garner Preseason Honors from Lindy’s Sports

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Preseason recognition for the Wake Forest football program is starting to roll in with multiple Demon Deacons earning conference and national honors.

Lindy's Sport released their nationwide preseason magazine and named both redshirt junior quarterback Sam Hartman and redshirt junior wide receiver A.T. Perry as First Team All-ACC selections.

In addition to Hartman and Perry, redshirt junior offensive lineman Michael Jurgens was placed on Second Team All-ACC while redshirt sophomore wide receiver Taylor Morin and redshirt junior defensive lineman Rondell Bothroyd garnered Third Team All-ACC recognition.

More on Hartman

Hartman was also named as the Preseason MVP by the publication and ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the country while also earning the distinction of "Coolest in the Clutch" among all ACC quarterbacks.

Last season, the Charlotte, N.C. native had a breakout sophomore campaign, being named a finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award while also being chosen as Semifinalist for Walter Camp Player of Year Award and Semifinalist list for the Davey O'Brien Award.

He garnered Second Team All-ACC honors from the league, coaches and media, was the back-to-back ACC Quarterback of the Week (Oct. 25 and Nov. 1) and was named MVP of the 2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, finishing the game with 304 yards and three touchdown passes

His 50 total touchdowns ranked second in conference history and was just one away from tying the ACC record. Hartman threw for 4,228 yards in 2021, ranking sixth in ACC history and first in Wake Forest history. Additionally, he ran for 11 touchdowns, the second-most in program history by a Wake Forest quarterback.

More on Perry

Perry ranked as the No. 9 wide receiver in the country by the Lindy's, which also was second among all ACC wide outs.

The Lake Worth, Fla. native is coming off one of the greatest single seasons by a Wake Forest wide receiver in program history, setting the single-season record with 15 touchdown receptions, three more than any other play in the program's history. Additionally, the total was tied for the fifth most in ACC history and the third highest total since 1997.

Perry also ended the year as just the ninth player in Wake Forest history to cross over the 1,000-yard barrier, tallying 1,293 receiving yards, ranking second and just 37 yards shy of the program record.

Along with Jaquarii Roberson, the duo are the second pair of Wake Forest receivers to both go over 1,000 yards in the same season (2019: Sage Surratt, Kendall Hinton).

A 2021 Belitnikoff Semifinalist, Perry found the endzone in 11 of the 14 games while having 100-plus yards in seven contests. His most memorable moment of the season came at Syracuse when all three of Perry's catches (137 receiving yards) went for touchdowns including the game winner in overtime to secure a 40-37 win for the Deacs and a 6-0 start to the season.

Preseason Honors

Sam Hartman