UNC football places sixteen players on All-ACC Academic Team

Throughout both of his stints with UNC football, Mack Brown has expected his players to stand out in the classroom as well as on the gridiron. That tradition continued on Tuesday, as sixteen of Brown's players, led by quarterback Drake Maye, were named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

Maye, a communication studies major, was named to the All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year. Joining him as two-time honorees are kicker Noah Burnette (exercise and sports science), long snapper Spencer Triplett (exercise and sports science), defensive backs Will Hardy (business) and Christopher Holliday (economics), and linebacker Gibson McCrae (management and society).

The ACC requires a player to have a cumulative 3.0 GPA for his entire academic career, and at least a 3.0 GPA during the previous semester. A player must also take part in at least half of his team's games to be eligible.

The Tar Heels didn't place nearly as many players on the All-Academic Team as their rivals. Duke and Wake Forest led the way with 29 selections each, while Clemson and Virginia had 27 each. Still, it's impressive that a large portion of UNC football's three-deep depth chart entering the 2023 season made the team. Among them are tight end John Copenhaver (communication studies), linebacker Sebastian Cheeks (business), wide receiver Chris Culliver (undecided), wide receiver J. J. Jones (journalism), and tackle Treyvon Green (exercise and sports science). Culliver made the team as a freshman, as did Cade Law (undecided).

Maye and Burnette also notched second-team All-ACC honors earlier in the year by the conference, and were also named to the AP's second All-ACC team. This underscores what most Tar Heel fans have known for some time--when you put on the Carolina blue and white, you're not only expected to shine in the game, but also shine in the classroom.