Pack Lands Seven on Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC Team

Pack Lands Seven on Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC Team

7/13/2020 11:38:00 AM | Football

Seven members of the Wolfpack squad have been named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-ACC teams. Here's a look at each of the choices:

THAYER THOMAS

Punt Returner (1st team)

Thomas, who will graduate this summer but has two years of eligibility remaining, will enter his redshirt junior campaign with the seventh-best career punt return average in school history with 11.2 yards per return. He averaged 13.7 ypr last season, a mark that tied for seventh in school history for a single season. He returned a punt for a 76 yard TD last season.

TRENTON GILL

Punter (2nd team)

2019 was definitely a good year for Trenton Gill. Starting with earning a scholarship in fall camp, he ended up posting his name in the Wolfpack record book. The rising redshirt junior averaged the best punting average for a season in school history at 47.6 yards per punt, a mark that led the ACC and ranked third in the FBS.

CHRISTOPHER DUNN

Kicker (3rd team)

Dunn will enter his junior season ranked 11th in school history in career scoring (211 points), fifth in field goals (44) and fourth in FG percentage (.880), His 79 career PATs ranks 10th in the career record books and he has never missed an extra point. A semifinalist for the 2019 Groza Award, Dunn, has connected on his last 11 field goals – the fifth-longest streak in school history.

IKEM EKWONU

Offensive Tackle (3rd team)

“Big Ick” was a success on the field and in the classroom during his rookie campaign, earning freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association and being named to the Academic All-ACC squad. He started the last seven games of the season at left tackle, tallying seven pancake blocks in the game against Louisville and leading the o-line in that category for the season.

ISAIAH MOORE

Linebacker (3rd team)

Moore has emerged as one of the leaders of the Wolfpack squad on and off the field after ranking third on the team in tackles last season. A reliable performer at middle linebacker, Moore returns for this third year as a starter.

TANNER INGLE

Nickel (4th team)

At 5’10, Ingle packs a powerful punch on the Wolfpack D, earning the nickname “Tasmanian Devil.” He led the team in tackles throughout the entire season before missing the season finale with an injury but finished the year with 68 stops. The rising junior was playing his first year at nickel in 2019 after seeing action at safety as a freshman.

ZONOVAN KNIGHT

Running back (4th team)

“Bam” lived up to his nickname last season, emerging from a group of talented running backs as a true freshman to lead the team in rushing. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry as a rookie, a mark that ties as the 12th-best for a single season in school history and the third-best mark ever by a Pack freshman.