Congratulations to Michael Campanaro and Nikita Whitlock. Both players were announced as 2nd-team All-ACC performers today. Punter Alex Kinal also received honorable mention All-ACC. I imagine he will make the all-freshman team which will be announced later.
Campanaro proved his worth throughout the entire season and ended the regular season as the ACC leader in receptions. He finished the season with 79 receptions for 763 yards and 6 TDs. He also rushed for a Touchdown and threw a TD Pass as well. When he broke his hand early on in the season he was sorely missed by the offense. I have no doubt in my mind that if it were not for missing two-and-a-half games he would have recorded at least 100 receptions on the season. Hats off to Camp for continuing to get better as a player and I am excited to see what next year holds for him!
Whitlock was also hampered with injuries early on in the season when he sustained a high-ankle sprain against North Carolina. He was able to return from injury and play in the majority of games this season. Whitlock finished the season with 51 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. His ability to make plays at his size (5’10″- 260 lbs.) is truly remarkable. His statistics were not as impressive as last season, but Whitlock forces opposing teams to double team a player of his size. That rarely happens unless you are a stud, and Nikita Whitlock is a stud.
Whitlock and Campanaro will be seniors next year and I look for them to get even better in their final seasons as they continue to be emotional and physical leaders for this football team.
Hats off to Alex Kinal as well. Unfortunately, he punted more than we all would have liked, but he still managed to average 40.7 yards per punt on 95 punts. That is very impressive in my opinion. This guy works his tail off to perfect his craft and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.
Here is the link to the ACC’s article and the full All-ACC football teams.
http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112612aaf.html
-Go Deacs!
Michael Hoag
Awesome job this season Michael with the blog!
Thanks! It’s the readers that keep me going. I love the Deacs, but if no one was reading it I’d have a hard time writing every week. Thanks again!