Nov. 27, 2017
THE FLATS – Sophomore running back KirVonte Benson, sophomore offensive guard Parker Braun and true freshman punter Pressley Harvin III represent Georgia Tech on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 2017 all-conference football teams, which were announced on Monday.
In addition to Benson and Braun being named second-team all-ACC and Harvin being a third-team selection, senior offensive guard Shamire Devine garnered honorable-mention recognition.
Benson, a first-year starter who never had a collegiate carry prior to this season, was named second-team all-ACC on the strength of rushing for 1,053 yards and six touchdowns. He ranks fourth in the ACC and 32nd nationally in rushing (95.7 ypg) and averaged a team-best 5.2 yards per carry.
Braun, an ESPN true freshman all-American a year ago, earned second-team all-conference honors in his second season as a starter. The 6-3, 280-pound sophomore anchored an offensive front that helped pave the way for Georgia Tech to rush for 307.4 yards per game this season, good for tops in the ACC and fifth nationally. He was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week after taking 22 defenders to the ground as the Yellow Jackets ran for 436 yards in a 35-17 win over Pitt on Sept. 23.
Harvin leads all NCAA Division I FBS true freshmen, ranks 18th overall nationally and second in the ACC in punting average at 44.1 yards per punt. Sixteen of his 50 punts (32 percent) were downed inside the 20 yard line, 13 (26 percent) traveled 50-plus yards and just 21 (42 percent) were returned. His 44.1-yard average was a Georgia Tech freshman record, breaking the old freshman mark of 43.8 yards per punt, set by Dan Dyke in 1999 and was the fifth-best single-season average in program history.
Devine turned in his finest collegiate season as a senior, as the 6-7, 380-pound road grader also played a big part in Georgia Tech leading the ACC in rushing for the 10th-straight year. His finest performance came in the Yellow Jackets’ 38-24 triumph over Wake Forest, as he recorded 10 knockdowns — most at the point of attack — and helped the Jackets rush for 427 yards in the win.
Georgia Tech’s three all-ACC honorees are its most since it had seven all-conference performers in 2014 and are tied for the fourth-most in Paul Johnson‘s 10 seasons as head coach, which include six first- or second-place finishes in the ACC Coastal Division.
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