Half a dozen locals named gridiron preseason All-ACC

Six Triangle-area players were named to the preseason All-ACC football team selected in a media vote at the ACC Football Kickoff over the weekend in Greensboro.

Duke players selected were cornerback Ross Cockrell and punter Will Monday.

N.C. State, which was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Division, had no players selected and none finishing in the top four in voting for any position.

With the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse, this will be the first season in which the ACC is a 14-team football

• Photo courtesy UNC athletics
• UNC DE Kareem Martin

Florida State had six players named and Clemson three, making those two teams plus the Tar Heels the only ones to have more than two players chosen.

• Photo courtesy Duke athletics
• Duke CB Ross Cockrell

Clemson’s Tajh Boyd, the runaway selection as the conference’s preseason player of the year, got 59 of the 65 votes at quarterback and was the closest of anyone to being a unanimous pick.