Eight were named to the Athlon Sports 2023 Preseason All-ACC Team

Football 05/26/2023 16:42:00

Story Links DURHAM — Eight Duke football players have been selected to the Athlon Sports 2023 preseason All-ACC team, the organization announced.

Offensive lineman Graham Barton, defensive lineman DeWayne Carter and kickoff return specialist Jaylen Stinson were called to the first team, wide receiver Jalon Calhoun and safety Brandon Johnson were called to the second team, while center Jacob Monk, safety Stinson and Punter Porter Wilson were named to the third team. Quarterback Riley Leonard completed the Blue Devil award winners after securing fourth-team approval.


Barton, a 2022 first-team All-ACC selection, was blocked on a Blue Devil offense that racked up 2,394 rushing yards and 3,010 passing yards last season. A native of Brentwood, Tenn., he has played 31 games on offense in his career, making 30 starts. In 2022, Barton helped Duke tally 31 rushing touchdowns, which set the program’s record for a single season. He anchored an offensive unit that ranked first in the ACC for sacks allowed (17) and tackles allowed for losses (51). At the end of the season, he had a Pro Football Focus grade of 88.2, ranking fifth nationally for offensive tackle.


Carter, a three-time team captain, has 86 tackles, 21.5 tackles for losses, 11.0 sacks, seven fumbles conceded, three fumble recoveries, 11 quarterback pressures and seven pass breakups in 39 games of his career. A Pickerington, Ohio native, he was named to the second-team All-ACC section a year ago after finishing third and 13th nationally in fumble recoveries and forced fumbles, respectively.


Stinson, a native of Opelika, Ala., ranked third in the ACC last season with 15 kick returns while he ranked second with 380 kick return yards. During his Blue Devil career, Stinson recorded 66 returns for 1,553 yards with two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, the safety compiled 130 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions, six pass breakups, a caused fumble, two fumble recoveries, and a quarterback rush. A season ago, he ranked third on the team with 74 tackles while adding 1.5 tackles for losses and two interceptions.


Calhoun, a 2022 third-team All-ACC selection, conceded 62 passes for 873 yards and four touchdowns last season and led the Blue Devils. Of his 62 balls, 37 resulted in a first down and 20 went for more than 20 yards. In 2022, the Greenville, SC native became the 11th player in program history to surpass a career 2,000 mark with 2,360 yards, ranking ninth all-time in Duke history. Additionally, his 203 career receptions rank him fifth all-time.


Johnson, an All-ACC honorable mention, finished last season with a tied first-team team in sacks (5.5), tied first in pass breakups (seven), tied second in interceptions ( two) and a third-place finish in tackles loss (7.5). The Newton, NC native returned an interception for 29 yards on a touchdown against Miami in 2022, scoring his first goal of his career. Johnson has 72 tackles, 7.5 tackles for losses, 5.5 sacks, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, two caused fumbles, three fumble recoveries and four quarterback hurries in 24 career games during his career.


Monk, who has played offense for five years, has played 3,051 snaps in 46 career games. Last season, the All-ACC honorable mention helped Duke notch 31 rushing touchdowns, which set the program’s record for a single season. He anchored an offensive unit that ranked first in the ACC for sacks allowed (17) and tackles allowed for losses (51).

A 2022 All-ACC honoree, Wilson totaled 46 punts for 1,984 yards that year, averaging 43.13 yards per punt. He was one of five players in the ACC with 1,800+ yards punting and 13+ kicks in the 20 with 10+ boots 50+ yards. The Fairlawn, Ohio product has 160 career punts for 6,992 yards, including 41 from 50-yard punts.

Leonard has completed 287 of 454 pass attempts (.632) for 3,348 yards with 21 touchdowns against seven interceptions and has rushed 171 times for 872 yards (5.09) with 15 touchdowns in 20 career games. In his freshman year as a Duke starter a season ago, he was named an All-ACC honorable mention and Military Bowl MVP. The Fairhope, Alabama, native set records with 33 touchdowns in charge and a pass-completion-to-interception ratio (41.67) in a school season while also ranking first in wins by a starting quarterback and second in quick touchdowns by a Quarterbacks, tied for third in rushing touchdowns and fourth in rushing yards by quarterback. He also had the sixth-highest pass completion rate and seventh-most pass yards in a single season.

Duke will open the 2023 season at home on Monday, September 4 when it welcomes Clemson to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.


Season tickets for the 2023 season are available now at GoDuke.com/footballtix.

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