ACC Preseason Player of Year Cam Ward leads five Hurricanes on preseason All-ACC team

Quarterback Cam Ward has yet to throw a pass in a game for the Miami Hurricanes, but the fifth-year senior and Washington State transfer is already racking up his share of preseason accolades.

The latest came Thursday when he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year, as voted on by a panel of media that covers the conference. Of the 170 ballots submitted, 71 voted Ward as the preseason player of the year.

Ward has thrown for 13,871 yards and 119 touchdowns over his first four seasons of college football. This included 6,963 yards and 48 touchdowns in two years at Washington State after spending his first two seasons at FCS Incarnate Word.

Ward was also one of five Hurricanes players named to the preseason All-ACC team — the most out of any team in the conference. The others: wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and kicker Andres Borregales.

As for the other Hurricanes who made the preseason All-ACC team...

▪ Restrepo, a fifth-year senior, led the Hurricanes in 2023 with 85 catches and 1,082 yards while hauling in six touchdowns. He’s the ACC’s leading returner in total catches and receiving yards from last season.

▪ Bain was the 2023 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and seven-and-a-half sacks.

▪ Mauigoa led the ACC with 18 tackles for loss while also having 82 total tackles, seven-and-a-half sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.

▪ Borregales made 22 of 26 field goals last season with a long of 51 yards.

The league announced on Wednesday that the Hurricanes were voted to finish third in the conference as a team, behind Florida State and Clemson.

The full preseason All-ACC team is as follows:

Quarterback: Miami’s Cam Ward

Running back: North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and California’s Jaydn Ott

Wide receiver: Miami’s Xavier Restrepo, NC State’s Kevin “KC” Concepcion and Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor

Tight end: Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II

All-purpose back: California’s Jaydn Ott

Offensive tackle: Florida State’s Darius Washington and Clemson’s Blake Miller

Offensive guard: North Carolina’s Willie Lampkin and Louisville’s Michael Gonzalez

Center: Florida State’s Maurice Smith

Defensive end: Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. and Louisville’s Ashton Gillotte

Defensive tackle: Florida State’s Joshua Farmer and Virginia Tech’s Aeneas Peebles

Linebacker: Miami’s Francisco Mauigoa, Clemson’s Barrett Carter and Syracuse’s Marlowe Wax

Cornerback: Virginia Tech’s Dorian Strong and NC State’s Aydan White

Safety: Virginia’s Jonas Sanker and Clemson’s R.J. Mickens

Kicker: Miami’s Andres Borregales

Punter: Florida State’s Alex Mastromanno

Specialist: SMU’s Brashard Smith