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UNC Football places six on AP All-ACC teams for 2023 season

By Nick Delahanty

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Cedric Gray #33 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates after recovering a fumble against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Cedric Gray #33 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates after recovering a fumble against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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The UNC football program is represented by six Tar Heels on the annual AP All-ACC teams for the 2023 college football season. 

On Tuesday, the Associated Press released its All-ACC teams for the 2023 college football season.

Mack Brown and the UNC football program are represented by six student-athletes among the two teams.

Omarion Hampton, Bryson Nesbit, and Cedric Gray earned first-team honors.

Hampton, who was one of four unanimous selections by the Associated Press, was one of the nation’s top running backs this season. In 12 games played, the sophomore rushed for 1,442  yards, averaging an impressive 120.1 yards per game. His 15 touchdowns ranked eighth in the FBS, as he proved to be a steady force for a Tar Heels offense that truly benefitted from having a workhorse in the backfield.

Nesbit, a tight end by position, became one of the UNC football program’s top receiving targets. He led all ACC tight ends in receiving yards (585), touchdowns (five), and yards per reception (14.3).

Gray was the leader of the UNC football program’s defense and has solidified himself as one of the best linebackers to ever play for the Tar Heels. His 121 tackles ranked second-most among ACC qualifiers, as he averaged an astounding 10.1 tackles per game.

The second-team selections for the UNC football were star quarterback Drake Maye, edge Kaimon Rucker, and placekicker Noah Burnette.

What more could you say about Maye, who has developed into one of the country’s top quarterbacks. He solidified his spot as one of (if not the) best signal-callers in UNC football history, as his 3,608 passing yards went on to lead the entire Atlantic Coast Conference.

Rucker was an absolute force on the defensive side of the ball, as he finished the season with 8.5 sacks to go along with 56 tackles. He was a consistent presence in the opposing team’s backfield, as he also recorded 12 quarterback pressures while dealing with consistent holds and double teams from opposing offensive linemen.

Burnette didn’t start the year as the Tar Heels’ placekicker, but he certainly made the most of his opportunity. The senior connected on 18 of 19 field goal attempts, as he tied a school record with six made field goals in a single game against rival Duke this fall.

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