While the official ACC Preseason All-Conference teams haven’t been released by the conference yet, Athlon Sports has started making guesses as to who the best players in the Atlantic Coast will be this season. Senior kick returner Brisly Estime was selected to the All-ACC Second Team, while kicker Cole Murphy made Third Team All-ACC.
Estime had the second-most receiving yards of any Orangeman last season with 293, but that number wasn’t near close enough to be considered an All-ACC receiver. Estime earned his spot with his returning abilities. He averaged 22.2 yards per kick return in 2015 and 18.1 yards per punt return while bringing two punts back for touchdowns. He was an honorable mention All-ACC player last season for his special teams work, and this year his numbers could soar under Dino Babers’ offense.
Cole Murphy impressed last season, and looks to improve this year. He was named to the Lou Groza Award watch list in 2015, but only made 16 of 22 field goal attempts and failed to receive postseason accolades. This year he hopes to get back to the ranks of the ACC’s elite place kickers.
One name left off the Athlon Sports list was junior linebacker Zaire Franklin. Franklin led the Orange with 81 tackles and 11 tackles for loss, and also helped hold together the Orange defense in a year where things were anything but organized. Hopefully some more offensive stability will take some of the pressure off Franklin and the Syracuse defense, and the junior is able to shine even brighter than before as an upperclassman.
Syracuse kicks off its season on Friday, September 2 against Colgate. The team’s first ACC will be the following Friday against Louisville in the Carrier Dome.
Posted: Nathan Dickinson
