Wake Forest Athletics
Six Demon Deacons Named to Athlon 2026 Preseason All-ACC Teams
7/1/2026 10:07:00 AM | Football
Wake Forest honorees were highlighted by wide receiver Carlos Hernandez and defensive lineman Langston Hardy earning second team honors by the publication.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Six Wake Forest football players were honored by Athlon Sports on the publication's 2026 preseason All-ACC teams.
This comes after wide receiver Carlos Hernandez was named a preseason All-American by Phil Steele earlier this summer, while five Deacs also earned spots on the Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC teams.
More on the Athlon preseason All-ACC honorees:
DL Langston Hardy | Second Team Defense
DB Davaughn Patterson | Third Team Defense
LB Aiden Hall | Third Team Defense
This comes after wide receiver Carlos Hernandez was named a preseason All-American by Phil Steele earlier this summer, while five Deacs also earned spots on the Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC teams.
More on the Athlon preseason All-ACC honorees:
DL Langston Hardy | Second Team Defense
- Placed on the 2025 All-ACC Team.
- Hardy recorded 17.0 tackles-for-loss in 2025, the third-most in the ACC last season and the most out of any returning player in the conference.
| Rank | Name | School | Solo TFLs | Assist TFLs | TFL Yards | Total TFLs |
| 1. | Isaiah Smith | SMU | 15.0 | 6.0 | 70 | 18.0 |
| 2. | Akheem Mesidor | Miami | 14.0 | 7.0 | 114 | 17.5 |
| T3. | Langston Hardy | Wake Forest | 13.0 | 8.0 | 67 | 17.0 |
| T3. | Rasheem Biles | Pitt | 12.0 | 10.0 | 67 | 17.0 |
| T5. | Will Heldt | Clemson | 13.0 | 5.0 | 74 | 15.5 |
| T5. | Reuben Bain Jr. | Miami | 12.0 | 7.0 | 75 | 15.5 |
- Of his team-high 17.0 tackles-for-loss, Hardy totaled 7.0 sacks last season, which was eighth in the ACC.
- Additionally, Hardy added nine quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery while totaling 67 tackles (28 solo, 39 assists).
- Finished the 2025 season with a team-high 611 yards and three receiving touchdowns on 40 passes caught.
- In the Duke's Mayo Bowl against Mississippi State, Hernandez went over 70 all-purpose yards, finishing with 73 receiving yards on six catches and four yards on punt returns.
- Over the last four games, Hernandez made explosive, game-changing plays with scores from 70 yards, 79 yards, 88 yards and 93 yards respectively.
- These explosive plays were some of the biggest in school history:
- Hernandez surpassed his previous career high against the Tar Heels with 202 all-purpose yards versus Delaware (Nov. 22).
- After recording 181 yards against Virginia (Nov. 8), the Alhambra, Calif., native notched the longest reception in school history with a 93-yard score against the Blue Hens.
| Rank | Reception | Yards | Date | Opponent |
| 1. | Robby Ashford to Carlos Hernandez | 93 | 11/22/2025 | Delaware |
| T2. | Benjamin Mauk to Jason Anderson | 85 | 9/4/2004 | Clemson |
| T2. | Gary Schofield to Tim Ryan | 85 | 11/27/1982 | Clemson |
| 4. | Marshall Williams to Chris Givens | 81 | 9/11/2010 | Duke |
| T5. | Riley Skinner to Marshall Williams | 80 | 9/19/2009 | Elon |
| T5. | Jim Kemp to Todd Dixon | 80 | 9/25/1993 | Northwestern |
| T5. | Sam Hartman to Jaquarii Roberson | 80 | 10/31/2020 | Syracuse |
| T8. | Robby Ashford to Carlos Hernandez | 79 | 11/22/2025 | Delaware |
| T8. | Tanner Price to Chris Givens | 79 | 10/15/2011 | Virginia Tech |
| T8. | Cory Randolph to Jason Anderson | 79 | 9/20/2003 | East Carolina |
- Hernandez got his name on the scoreboard with a 79-yard reception for a touchdown late in the second quarter which was the eighth-longest reception in program history.
- In the road win at No. 12 Virginia, Hernandez made pivotal plays on special teams, finishing the game with 124 punt return yards, including an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter.
- The 88-yard return is the second-longest punt return in program history and marked the first punt return for a touchdown since Taylor Morin's 73-yard return against North Carolina A&T last season.
| Rank | Name | Opponent (Date) | Yards |
| 1. | Nick Sacrinty | VMI (10/23/1942) | 94 |
| 2. | Carlos Hernandez | Virginia (11/8/2025) | 88 |
| 3. | George Coghill | Navy (11/23/1991) | 86 |
| 4. | Fabian Davis | Illinois (8/29/2002) | 82 |
| 5. | Bill Barnes | William & Mary (9/22/1956) | 77 |
- Placed on the 2025 All-ACC Team.
- Patterson finished second on the team with 80 total tackles and is the leading returning tackler for the Demon Deacons.
- His 80 total tackles finished the season inside of the top 20 in the ACC.
- Patterson also totaled a career-high nine pass breakups in 2025 to go along with his one interception.
- The nine pass breakups were tied for the fourth most in the ACC for the 2025 season.
| Rank | Name | School | Pass Breakups |
| 1. | Devon Marshall | NC State | 16 |
| T2. | Brent Austin | Cal | 13 |
| T2. | Hezekiah Masses | Cal | 13 |
| T3. | Davaughn Patterson | Wake Forest | 9 |
| T3. | Avieon Terrell | Clemson | 9 |
| T3. | Demetres Samuel Jr. | Syracuse | 9 |
| T3. | Ashton Hampton | Clemson | 9 |
- Hall totaled the third-most tackles for the Demon Deacons last season with 73.0 tackles, including 8.0 tackles-for-loss.
- Also recorded three pass breakups and recovered a fumble last season.
- Appeared in –and started–all 13 games.
- Finished the season with a career-high seven tackles, eight tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and three pass breakup
- Graded as the No. 4 qualified linebacker against the run in the ACC.
- Graded as the third-best run defender on the team.
- Had a standout bowl game, recording seven tackles and 1.5 TFLs in the win over Mississippi State (1/2).
- Made a season-high 10 tackles and one behind the line of scrimmage at Duke (11/29).
- Saw action in five games while making four starts for the Demon Deacons.
- Made his collegiate debut in the win over Kennesaw State, playing 78 snaps (8/29)
- Played a season-high 80 snaps in the ACC finale against Duke (11/29)
- Finished the season with 352 offensive snaps and a team-high run-block grade per PFF.
- In his first season with the Demon Deacons, Kirschke tallied 37 tackles, ranking second on the team with 9.0 tackles-for-loss and third on the team with 5.0 sacks.
- Kirschke also forced a pair of fumbles this season, which was tied for the sixth-most in the ACC alongside Dylan Hazen.
| Name | School | Forced Fumbles |
| Avieon Terrell | Clemson | 5 |
| Omar Thornton | Boston College | 4 |
| Akheem Mesidor | Miami | 4 |
| Mitchell Melton | Virginia | 3 |
| Clev Lubin | Louisville | 3 |
| Dylan Hazen | Wake Forest | 2 |
| Gabe Kirschke | Wake Forest | 2 |
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