Feb. 16, 2009
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Georgia Tech placed four players on the 2008 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Football Team, announced Monday by league commissioner John Swofford.
Yellow Jacket defensive tackle Darryl Richard, who graduated from Tech with honors in just three years and received his graduate degree in December, was named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the second time. Freshmen Roddy Jones (A-back), Jaybo Shaw (quarterback) and Cooper Taylor (safety) made their first appearances on the team.
To be eligible for consideration, a player must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career. All 12 ACC schools were represented by at least one selection on the team.
Georgia Tech placed four players on the team for the second straight year. The Yellow Jackets have produced at least three team members every year since 2000.
Also named to the team were ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich (Boston College) and the ACC’s leader in all-purpose yardage, C.J. Spiller (Clemson). Six other player who were first or second team All-ACC were named to the team: Richard, Edwin Williams (Maryland), Travis Baltz (Maryland), Thomas Austin (Clemson), Anthony Castonzo (Boston College) and Myron Rolle (Florida State).
Additionally, two members of the All-Academic team were named honorable mention All-ACC in Dustin Keys (Virginia Tech) and Dan Gronkowski (Maryalnd). Virginia Tech placekicker Dustin Keys (Stafford, Va.), who finished 7th nationally in fields goals, and Maryland tight end Dan Gronkowski (Amherst, N.Y.).
Richard was honored at the 2008 ACC Football Championship Game as the Conference’s top senior scholar-athlete and the winner of the prestigious 2008 Jim Tatum Award.
Rolle, one of two three-time Academic All-ACC honorees on the team, was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship this past fall, and will continue his graduate education this coming year at Oxford University in England.
Boston College placekicker Steve Aponavicius also earned selection for the third year in a row, while 13 other players were selected to the Academic All-ACC team for the second time including Austin, Baltz, Gronkowksi, Herzlich, Richard, Williams, Clemson placekicker Mark Buccholz, North Carolina center Lowell Dyer, Maryland placekicker Obi Egekeze, Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon, NC State tackle Meares Green, Clemson punter Jimmy Maners and Wake Forest tight end Ben Wooster.
Four quarterbacks earned selection to the team led by Shaw, Florida State sophomore Christian Ponder, Glennon and NC State’s Harrison Beck.
Maryland led all ACC schools with eight selections, followed by Clemson with five and Florida State, Georgia Tech and Boston College with four each. In all, 10 members of the team have already graduated and were in graduate school this past fall.
The 2008 All-ACC Academic Football team is as follows:
Player School Class Pos. Major Hometown
Steve Aponavicius Boston College Sr. PK Finance Easton, Pa.
Thomas Austin Clemson Jr. OL Political Science Camden, S.C.
Travis Baltz Maryland So. P Business Whitehouse, Ohio
Harrison Beck NC State Jr. QB Communications Clearwater, Fla.
Brent Bowden Virginia Tech Jr. P Interdisciplinary Studies Centreville, Va.
Mark Buchholz Clemson Sr.* PK Marketing Alpharetta, Ga.
LaRon Byrd Miami Fr. WR Undeclared Boutte, La.
Anthony Castonzo Boston College So. OL Biochemistry Hawthorn Wood, Ill.
Phil Costa Maryland Jr. OL Criminal Justice Moorestown, N.J.
Rick Costa Maryland Sr. LB Criminal Justice Moorestown, N.J.
Adrian Aye-Darko Duke Sr. FS Sociology Stevenson Ranch, Calif.
Andrew Datko Florida State Fr. T Business Weston, Fla.
Andrew Devlin Virginia Fr. TE Undeclared Pittsburgh, Pa.
Lowell Dyer North Carolina Sr. OL English Durham, N.C.
Obi Egekeze Maryland Sr. PK International Business Augusta, Ga.
Sean Glennon Virginia Tech Sr. QB Marketing Centreville, Va.
Cameron Goldberg Duke Sr. T History Luthersville, Md.
Meares Green NC State Sr.* OL Biochemistry Wilmington, N.C.
Dan Gronkowski Maryland Sr.* TE MBA Amherst, N.Y.
Brandon Harris Miami Fr. CB Sports Administration Miami, Fla.
Montel Harris Boston College Fr. RB Undeclared Jacksonville, Fla.
Mark Herzlich Boston College Jr. LB Finance Wayne, Pa.
Kevin Jones Duke So. P Psychology Austin, Tex.
Roddy Jones Georgia Tech Fr. AB Management Stone Mountain, Ga.
Dustin Keyes Virginia Tech Sr.* PK MPE Stafford, Va.
Jimmy Maners Clemson Sr. P Philosophy Rock Hill, S.C.
Brandon Maye Clemson Fr. LB Sociology Mobile, Ala.
Dean Muhtadi Maryland Sr.* DL MBA Alexandria, Va.
Christian Ponder Florida State So.* QB MBA Colleyville, Tx.
Shane Popham Wake Forest Fr. P/PK Undecided Crestview Hills, Ky.
Dane Randolph Maryland Sr.* T Health Services Columbia, Md.
Darryl Richard Georgia Tech Sr.* DT MBA Destrehan, La.
Myron Rolle Florida State Jr.* S Public Administration Galloway, N.J.
Xavier Shannon Miami Sr. C Enrollment Management Miami, Fla.
Jaybo Shaw Georgia Tech Fr. QB Management Flowery Branch, Ga.
C.J. Spiller Clemson Jr. RB Sociology Lake Butler, Fla.
Kendrick Stewart Florida State Sr. DT Sports Management Lakeland, Fla.
Cooper Taylor Georgia Tech Fr. S Management Atlanta, Ga.
Edwin Williams Maryland Sr*. C Sports Management Washington, D.C.
Ben Wooster Wake Forest Jr. TE Health & Exercise Science Atlanta, Ga.
* Denotes student-athlete has already graduated and were in graduate school this past fall. Class refers to athletic eligibility
