GREENSBORO, N.C. --- After a record-setting senior season in which he caught 91 passes for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns, senior wide receiver Ryan Switzer was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team as selected by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Lucas Crowley,Jon Heck and T.J. Logan were second-team selections, while Elijah Hood, Nazair Jones and Mitch Trubisky were third-team picks.
A native of Charleston, West Virginia, Switzer ranks second in the ACC and eighth nationally with 91 receptions, a total that eclipsed Dwight Jones' previous school record of 85, which was set in 2011. An incredible 82 of his 91 catches came against Power 5 opponents, the top such total nationally. He also had five receiving touchdowns on the year, upping his career total to 18, tied for fifth-most in school history.
Crowley earned second-team honors at center following his most successful season as a Tar Heel. The Ponte Vedra, Florida, senior was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week three times in 2016, anchoring an offensive line that was hampered by injuries. Fellow senior Heck, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, was a second-team pick at tackle. Despite losing two senior starters to injury, Crowley and Heck helped lead a line that paved the way for Carolina to finish the regular season second in the ACC in yards per play.
Logan was honored for his dynamic presence as a kickoff return specialist. The Greensboro senior ranked third nationally with a 32.9 yards per return average and returned two kicks for touchdowns, including a school-record 100-yard score against The Citadel. Logan led Carolina in all purpose yards with 1,509, a 125.8 yards per game average.
Hood rushed for a team-high 858 yards and eight touchdowns during the regular season, while also catching 25 passes for 142 yards in 11 games.
Jones was a key veteran leader on a young defensive line, recording a team-best 7.5 tackles for loss among his 62 total stops.
Trubisky emerged as one of the nation's top passers in his first year as a starter, tossing for 3,468 yards and 28 touchdowns, both UNC single-season records.
Switzer (specialist) was also one of six Tar Heels to earn honorable mention on the All-ACC list. He was joined by Bug Howard (wide receiver), Des Lawrence (cornerback), Andre Smith (linebacker),M.J. Stewart (cornerback) and Nick Weiler (place-kicker).
Jones Named ACC Rookie of the Week
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors following his performance against Miami this past Saturday.
In the 40-21 loss to the Hurricanes, Jones completed 34-of-50 pass attempts for 316 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The effort marked the fourth 300-yard passing performance for Jones against ACC competition this season.
The league honor is the fourth for Jones, as the Charlotte, N.C., native also was honored as the rookie of the week following Duke’s contests against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
The ACC’s other weekly honors included Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (Offensive Back), N.C. State’s Joe Scelfo (Offensive Lineman), Syracuse’s Amba Etta-Tawo (Receiver), Boston College’s Harold Landry (Defensive Lineman), Virginia Tech’s Andrew Motuapuaka (Linebacker), Pitt’s Quadree Henderson (Specialist) and Georgia Tech’s Lance Austin (Defensive Back).
Week Thirteen Sun Belt Football Players of the Week Announced
Offensive Player of the Week
Isaiah Saunders (Idaho, So., RB, Sociology/Criminology)
Saunders was the driving force for Idaho’s offense in the Vandals’ 38-31 victory over South Alabama for their seventh victory of the season. Saunders carried the ball 23 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry and was caught for a loss just once – for one yard. He scored the first touchdown of the game with 9:48in the first quarter then came back with scoring runs in the third quarter (which returned the lead to the Vandals) and the fourth quarter (to give the Vandals a 10-point advantage with 14:27 to play).
Defensive Player of the Week
Jalen Thompson (South Alabama, So., DB, Exercise Science)
Thompson intercepted a pair of passes and added a career-high 10 tackles — all unassisted — at Idaho last time out, breaking up another pass as well. The sophomore cornerback became the first Jag to pick off multiple passes in a game in more than a year, and the first since the 2010 finale and season opener in 2011 to record an interception in back-to-back outings. He was also the first USA cornerback to finish with a double-digit tackle total since Nov. 2, 2013.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Bentlee Critcher (Appalachian State, Sr., P, Business and Marketing Education)
Critcher was 8-for-8 on kickoffs for touchbacks and punted once for 53 yards in the Apps’ 37-7 win against New Mexico State on Saturday. Critcher kept the Aggies backed up throughout with his lone punt downed at the 3-yard line. App faked one punt, on which Critcher took the snap and rumbled 28 yards for a first down.
Photo Courtesy: Ryan Switzer, UNC Athletics