Photo by: Charles Wainwright
Six Orange Named to All-ACC Academic Football Team
1/30/2020 11:25:00 AM | Football, Academics
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Offensive linemen Dakota Davis and Matthew Bergeron, along with defensive end Kingsley Jonathan, cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu, quarterback Tommy DeVito and All-America punter Sterling Hofrichter were named to the 2019 All-ACC Academic Football Team, announced Thursday, Jan. 30 by the conference office.
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Syracuse's six selections tied Boston College and Virginia Tech for the fourth-most of any school. Only Duke (11), Virginia (10) and Clemson (8) had more representatives on the 73-man team, which was selected from a pool of nominees submitted by the 14 ACC schools.
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Since the Orange joined the ACC in 2013, Syracuse has had 38 football student-athletes earn All-ACC Academic honors. Only Duke (99) and Pittsburgh (44) have more during that time.
Davis, a health and exercise major, started all 12 games at right guard in 2019. He played 896 snaps and was second on the team with 50 knockdown blocks, including a career-high seven at Florida State.
One of only seven freshmen to make the team, Bergeron played in all 12 games last fall, starting the last five at right tackle. He logged 20 knockdown blocks in 425 snaps on his way to Pro Football Focus All-Freshman Second Team honors. With Bergeron in the starting lineup, Syracuse averaged 215.6 yards rushing per game, 61.6 yards more that its season average (154.0). Bergeron is majoring in social work.
A member of the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, Johnathan is an information management and technology major. He tallied a personal-best 24 tackles last season, including three for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
Melifonwu, who majors in economics, tied for third in the ACC in passes defended per game (1.11) in 2019. He recorded 18 tackles and had 10 passes defended in nine games (eight starts), including a team-best eight pass breakups.
DeVito threw for 2,360 yards and tied the Syracuse sophomore record with 19 TD passes in his first season as a starter. A sociology major, DeVito ended the year with a streak of 170 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the second-longest stretch in team history without a pick behind R.J. Anderson's run of 190 throws bridging the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Additionally, DeVito was one of seven Power-Five quarterbacks with 19+ touchdown passes and five or fewer interceptions in 2019.
A graduate student studying public health, Hofrichter received All-America honors from seven different selectors and was one of the three finalists for the 2019 Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter. He ranked third in the FBS in net average (43.03) and led the ACC in touchback percentage (2.9). The only two-time All-ACC First Team selection in program history, Hofrichter closed his career as Syracuse's all-time leader in punting yardage (11,651).
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The conference has selected an All-ACC Academic Football Team every year since 1954. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade-point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during his undergraduate and/or graduate academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered.
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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Syracuse's six selections tied Boston College and Virginia Tech for the fourth-most of any school. Only Duke (11), Virginia (10) and Clemson (8) had more representatives on the 73-man team, which was selected from a pool of nominees submitted by the 14 ACC schools.
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Since the Orange joined the ACC in 2013, Syracuse has had 38 football student-athletes earn All-ACC Academic honors. Only Duke (99) and Pittsburgh (44) have more during that time.
Davis, a health and exercise major, started all 12 games at right guard in 2019. He played 896 snaps and was second on the team with 50 knockdown blocks, including a career-high seven at Florida State.
One of only seven freshmen to make the team, Bergeron played in all 12 games last fall, starting the last five at right tackle. He logged 20 knockdown blocks in 425 snaps on his way to Pro Football Focus All-Freshman Second Team honors. With Bergeron in the starting lineup, Syracuse averaged 215.6 yards rushing per game, 61.6 yards more that its season average (154.0). Bergeron is majoring in social work.
A member of the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, Johnathan is an information management and technology major. He tallied a personal-best 24 tackles last season, including three for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
Melifonwu, who majors in economics, tied for third in the ACC in passes defended per game (1.11) in 2019. He recorded 18 tackles and had 10 passes defended in nine games (eight starts), including a team-best eight pass breakups.
DeVito threw for 2,360 yards and tied the Syracuse sophomore record with 19 TD passes in his first season as a starter. A sociology major, DeVito ended the year with a streak of 170 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the second-longest stretch in team history without a pick behind R.J. Anderson's run of 190 throws bridging the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Additionally, DeVito was one of seven Power-Five quarterbacks with 19+ touchdown passes and five or fewer interceptions in 2019.
A graduate student studying public health, Hofrichter received All-America honors from seven different selectors and was one of the three finalists for the 2019 Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter. He ranked third in the FBS in net average (43.03) and led the ACC in touchback percentage (2.9). The only two-time All-ACC First Team selection in program history, Hofrichter closed his career as Syracuse's all-time leader in punting yardage (11,651).
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The conference has selected an All-ACC Academic Football Team every year since 1954. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade-point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during his undergraduate and/or graduate academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered.
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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