BOONE — Appalachian State Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Tuesday that he has commenced a national search to find the next leader of App State Football. Scott Satterfield is leaving the university to accept a head coaching opportunity at the University of Louisville.

“I want to thank Scott and his staff for their many years of service to Appalachian State University and our football program,” Gillin said. “We wish Scott and his family all the best moving forward. As we look for our next head coach, we will continue to build upon the proud history and tradition of Appalachian Football. Winning championships is the norm here, and we have a roster that is returning a nucleus of young student-athletes. This a highly attractive job. I look forward to introducing our next head football coach to App Nation very soon.”

Mark Ivey will serve as the team’s interim head coach, effective immediately, pending Board of Trustees approval. App State (10-2) faces Middle Tennessee (8-5) in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 15.


“I'm excited that Doug and the university trust me with this fantastic program," Ivey said. "I hope we'll be able to provide a product in the New Orleans Bowl that our players and fans can be proud of. As always, I love being a Mountaineer, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve as interim head coach.”

Satterfield, who was named head coach at his alma mater on Dec. 14, 2012, compiled a 51-24 record as the Mountaineers’ head coach. The team’s 34-6 conference record in five Sun Belt seasons is the best in the league over that span. Satterfield directed App State to three straight conference titles (2016, 2017, 2018) and led the program to its fourth straight bowl berth this year. App State is the only program in history to win bowl games in its first three years after the transition to FBS, having claimed Camellia Bowl victories over Ohio in 2015 (31-29) and Toledo in 2016 (31-28) before it won the Dollar General Bowl over Toledo in 2017 (34-0).

"Everything you do, do it with passion, energy, and enthusiasm."
   
Will Healy, the new head football coach of the Charlotte 49ers, is driven by those 10 words. His teams are driven by the same philosophy, which leans heavily on character, relationships, and positivity.
   
In hiring Healy, Charlotte Director of Athletics Mike Hill saw those characteristics and knew they meshed with the very culture he is building for the 49ers athletic program.

Charlotte AD Mike Hill and new Head Coach Will Healy Photo Credit: Charlotte Sports Information

   
"Will Healy reflects our program and institution," Hill said. "He is a young, hungry, up and comer. He is a force to be reckoned with."
   
Healy, an Eddie Robinson Award winner as the National FCS Coach of the Year, is known for infusing energy and enthusiasm into his program. During his three-year stint as head coach at Austin Peay he engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history. Now he brings that attitude to Charlotte, which set school records for FBS wins and Conference USA, this past season.
   
"We're delighted to attract a coach of Will Healy's caliber and character," UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois said.
   
"We've got a gold mine here. I love what we're going to do here together. Let's build something special," Healy told the standing room only crowd. "The people in the city of Charlotte need to come see what this place is about. People are going to come here because they know us and because of the relationships that our players and our coaches and our athletic department have with them. We are going to build a family atmosphere. We believe in who we are, we believe in how we are raising a culture and how we are raising these men to be great husbands and fathers. We believe in the opportunity that comes with being a student-athlete here at Charlotte and I can't wait to go along this journey with all of you in this room."
   
To say his enthusiasm is contagious is an understatement.
   
When he said he told Hill "I would walk to Charlotte from Chattanooga to have an opportunity to talk about this job", you believed he would.
   
That attitude helped him land top-five FCS recruiting classes at two schools in four of the last five years, including the top recruiting class in the FCS following a 0-11 season.
   
That attitude helped him produce back-to-back five-win seasons at a place that had two five-win seasons in the previous 24 years.
   
That attitude helped him win 13 games in the last two years after the Govs had won one game in the previous four years.
   
"We used ... multiple conversations with fellow colleagues across the country, administrators, coaches, and others," Hill said "Will Healy's name continued to pop up over and over. There is high praise for this man, not only as a football coach but as a human being. He made an impact obviously recruiting and as a coordinator. He's clearly a rising star as we talked to everyone around the country. There were four characteristics we were looking for in our new head coach. High character and integrity, proven recruiter, teacher and developer of talent, and who values culture."
   
Healy checks every box.
   
And now he's the coach charged with lifting Charlotte's young, energetic and enthusiastic football program to greater heights.
   
"This place is special. We get the chance to build our own history, our own story," Healy remarked. "We want fans screaming about Charlotte Athletics, that's my vision for this place. I feel like I'm living a dream. I always felt this job can be one of the top programs in college football. I think when you drive on this campus for the first time you get a chance to see the facilities and the resources this place has to offer - this place is really special. My family and I are really living a dream being here."

The NCHSAA Regional Final Pairings have been set. Teams that win this week will move on to the state championship game. The state title games will be played on December 14th and 15th at NC State’s Carter Finley Stadium, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan Stadium, and Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium.

1A
East
#2 Pamlico (12-1) vs. #4 Rosewood (9-2)
West
#3 Murphy (11-1) vs. #4 Robbinsville (11-2)

1AA
East
#1 Tarboro (13-0) vs. #3 Edenton Holmes (12-1)
West
#2 Starmount (7-6) vs. #4 East Surry (10-3)

2A
East
#1 Northeastern (13-0) vs. #6 Southwest Onslow (12-2)
West
#2 Reidsville (14-0) vs. #8 Brevard (11-3)

2AA
East
#1 Ledford (13-1) vs. #3 North Davidson (12-2)
West
#2 Hibriten (14-0) vs. #4 Shelby (11-3)

3A
East
#1 Havelock (13-0) vs. #6 Jacksonville (10-1)
West
#3 Charlotte Catholic (13-1) vs. #5 Kings Mountain (12-2)

3AA
East
#2 Southeast Guilford (13-1) vs. #4 Cleveland (12-2)
West
#3 Mount Tabor (10-4) vs. #5 Weddington (13-1)

4A
East
#5 Seventy-First (11-3) vs. #10 Scotland (8-5)
West
#1 East Forsyth (13-0) vs. #6 Porter Ridge (9-4)

4AA
East
#1 Wake Forest (12-0) vs. #6 Pinecrest (11-3)
West
#5 Vance (13-1) vs. #6 Myers Park (13-1)

BOONE – It was a historic day at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina on Saturday. For the first time ever, the Sun Belt Conference held a conference championship game. By virtue of being the highest ranked team in the conference, East Division champion Appalachian State hosted the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns for the right to be the first-ever conference championship game winner and clinching a berth in the New Orleans Bowl. Led by Darrynton Evans's 215 total yards (107 rushing, 108 returning) and Zac Thomas's two rushing touchdowns, the Appalachian State Mountaineers held off the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, 30-19, to clinch the Sun Belt Conference championship for the third year in a row.

After winning the coin toss and electing to go on offense first, the Ragin' Cajuns drove fifty-five yards down the field and scored on a 37-yard Kyle Pfau field goal to take an early lead. That lead, and the momentum from scoring first, was short-lived as Darrynton Evans returned the ensuing kickoff ninety-seven yards to the Louisiana one-yard line. Marcus Williams scored on the next play and Appalachian had the lead and managed to hold onto it for the rest of the game.

Louisiana added another Pfau field goal in the second quarter that capped an eleven-play, forty-one-yard drive. The Mountaineers responded with their own long drive, moving the ball seventy-five yards in nine plays with Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Zac Thomas keeping it on a twenty-five run up the middle for the second (of how many?) rushing touchdown on the day for the home team. When it looked like Louisiana was poised to get into scoring position late in the half, App State junior defensive back Josh Thomas stepped in front of a Ragin' Cajun pass for his third pick of the year and the Mountaineers went into the half leading by eight.

Appalachian State started the third quarter with pretty much the same game plan they had in the first half – feed Darrynton Evans the ball. The sophomore running back's forty-eight-yard run got App State into scoring position, but the Ragin' Cajun defense stiffed up and the Mountaineers were forced to settle for a 42-yard Chandler Staton field goal. In what was almost a reverse of how the first half started, Louisiana's Raymond Calais returned the kickoff sixty-one-yards into App State territory. Four plays later, quarterback Andre Nunez called his own number on an eight-yard run for the first touchdown of the day for the visiting Ragin' Cajuns.

In what turned out to be a [game changer/inconsequential over the course of the game], Appalachian State decided to gamble on a 4th and 1 from their own 34. The Louisiana defense stepped up and stopped the Mountaineers, giving the Ragin' Cajuns a chance to take the lead for the first time. Kidd Brewer Stadium stepped in at this point with the noise from "The Rock" causing three consecutive offensive penalties. But, the Ragin' Cajuns refused to be denied, converting the long first down and getting three points from another Pfau field goal. App State added another Chandler Staton field goal to close out the third quarter and it was only a four-point affair to begin the final stanza.


The fourth quarter started with a strong defensive possession by the Mountaineers. After Anthony Flory pressured the Louisiana quarterback, Tae Hayes came down with the pick on the altered pass and the Mountaineers were in business. Zac Thomas called his own number again on a 4th and 1 from the 35-yard line and the Mountaineers were up by eleven and the home fans could taste the conference championship. As the minutes rolled off the clock, chants of "A-S-U!" erupted from the students in attendance. When the final whistle blew, the App State faithful who braved the cold and the rain poured on to the field at Kidd Brewer Stadium and celebrated the first-ever Sun Belt Conference Championship Game win.


Of Note
Darrynton Evans surpassed the one-thousand-yard rushing mark in the first half. 2018 was the seventh straight year that the Mountaineers had a thousand-yard rusher. What made it even more impressive was the fact that Evans didn't get the starting nod until Jalin Moore went down with an injury halfway through the season.

The seven field goals (four by Louisiana's Kyle Pfau and three by Appalachian State's Chandler Staton) in the game are sure to be a Sun Belt Conference Championship Game record for a while. The cold, rainy weather surely played a part in the lack of touchdowns, but the special teams play by both teams was a highlight.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – ECU defensive end Nate Harvey has been named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year, while wide receiver Trevon Brown and placekicker Jake Verity join Harvey as first-team all-conference selections according to an announcement by the league office Wednesday.

Harvey, who is ECU’s first-ever conference defensive player-of-the-year honoree, leads the nation in total TFLs (24.0), solo TFLs (22.0), and TFLs per game (2.18), while ranking in the Top 5 nationally in sacks per game (second/1.23), TFLs yards (second/-115), solo sacks (t2nd/13.0), total sacks (third/13.5) and sack yards (t4th/-91). Against Connecticut on Nov. 17, he broke Chris Moore’s single-season ECU mark of 21.0 TFLs with a five-yard sack in the second quarter before surpassing Ed Oliver’s (Houston) AAC standard of 23.0 with a six-yard sack in the third stanza. The senior from Knightdale, N.C. is 1.5 sacks shy of ECU’s single-year record of 15.0 (Rod Coleman/1997) and one short of The American record of 14.5 set by Louisville’s Marcus Smith in 2013.

A second-team all-conference selection a year ago, Brown leads the Pirates in six statistical categories, which includes receptions (71), receiving yards (1,075), touchdowns (nine), receiving yards per game (97.7), all-purpose yards (1,354) and all-purpose yards per game (123.1). The Wilmington, N.C. native registered his second-straight 1,000-yard season with his 12-yard grab against the Huskies and has authored four 100-yard receiving games, amassed 100 or more all-purpose yards in a contest six times and has scored at least one TD in six of his last eight games heading into the regular season finale against NC State.

Brown, who stands eighth on ECU’s single-season receiving charts, ranks among the NCAA FBS leaders in receiving yards per game (13th), receptions per game (18th/6.5), receiving yards (19th), receiving TDs (21st) and all-purpose yards per game (31st). Currently he stands second all-time at ECU in receiving TDs (24), while holding the fourth spot in receptions (186) and receiving yards (2,904).

Verity earned his first career all-conference accolade after leading The American in field goals made per game (1.64) and FG percentage (90.0), while standing fifth in kick scoring (7.4 ppg). The Bremen, Ga. native is among the national leaders (Top 10) in FG percentage (fourth), FGs per game (10th) and ranks fifth in career FGs made per game (1.40) after making 35 of 47 attempts in two-plus years. Verity, who has connected on 27 of 28 PATs, has successfully made 18 of 20 FGAs and tied his career-long with a 52-yarder against Memphis. He has made at least one field goal in 10 of 11 games (multiple seven times) and was also credited with a 38-yard game-winning kick versus Old Dominion, the first of his career.

BOONE, N.C. — Highlighted by quarterback Zac Thomas being named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, Scott Satterfield being named Sun Belt Coach of the Year and the program's 16 all-conference selections including six All-Sun Belt first-team picks, Appalachian State fared well as the league announced its 2018 awards Thursday.

The Mountaineers, who will host the Sun Belt Championship Game on Saturday after winning the East Division with a 7-1 record, put senior defensive tackle MyQuon Stout, junior defensive back Clifton Duck, junior offensive lineman Victor Johnson, junior linebacker Jordan Fehr, junior defensive back Desmond Franklin and sophomore running back Darrynton Evans on the All-Sun Belt first team. Duck received first-team recognition for the third straight year, and Johnson repeated as a first-team choice.

The All-Sun Belt second team included Thomas, senior offensive lineman Chandler Greer, junior linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither, sophomore receiver Corey Sutton and sophomore offensive lineman Noah Hannon, while the third team had senior defensive back Tae Hayes, senior linebacker Anthony Flory, junior tight end Collin Reed, Duck (return specialist), and Evans (all-purpose).

App State's 16 all-conference selections were second-most behind Troy's 19.

Four other App State players were All-Sun Belt honorable mention: junior defensive back Josh Thomas, junior linebacker Noel Cook, sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Neuzil and freshman tight end Henry Pearson.

With the nation's third-youngest roster, based on underclassmen occupying three-fourths of it, Satterfield led the Mountaineers to a division title. App State pushed Penn State to overtime in its 2018 opener and suffered its only league loss with Zac Thomas sidelined after his third play at Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers will join Clemson and Oklahoma this weekend as the only FBS teams contending for a third straight conference title.

Satterfield, who is tied for sixth nationally with 39 wins since 2015, holds a 43-7 record against opponents from Group of Five conferences and a 34-6 record against Sun Belt opponents.

Thomas, a first-year starter who replaced four-year starter Taylor Lamb at quarterback, enters the Sun Belt Championship Game with 18 touchdown passes, eight rushing touchdowns and just four interceptions. He ranks among the nation's top 35 quarterbacks with league-leading totals in QBR, passing efficiency and yards per completion.

Stout, a two-year captain, is the anchor up front whose work helped App State's defense give up an average of just 9.2 points in the team's nine regular season victories. The Mountaineers allowed 10 points or less in seven of those wins and led the Sun Belt with top-10 national rankings in total defense, scoring defense, pass efficiency defense, passing defense, yards allowed per pass attempt, third-down defense, fourth-down defense, three-and-outs per game and first downs allowed.

Fehr is a two-time Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week who had 75 tackles, a team-high 5.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and a key safety (at Coastal Carolina) during the regular season. Aside from missing most of App State's only league loss, he averaged 8.4 tackles in his other Sun Belt appearances, including a 15-tackle, one-sack game at Arkansas State.

Franklin is tied for the league lead with four interceptions to go along with his 43 tackles, and Duck has registered 44 tackles in addition to increasing his three-year total to 12 interceptions.

Johnson has started all 37 games of his career at left tackle for an offensive line that ranks in the top 20 nationally in rushing yards per game and fewest sacks allowed per game, while Evans averaged a league-best 112.8 rushing yards and 151.0 all-purpose yards in Sun Belt play. With five games of 100-plus rushing yards since he replaced the injured Jalin Moore as App State's primary tailback in mid-October, Evans has 968 rushing yards in 11 games this year.

Thomas was named the second-team quarterback behind first-team pick and Sun Belt Player of the Year Justice Hansen of Arkansas State, and Davis-Gaither made the second team while leading the league's top-ranked defense with 89 tackles. His 9.0 tackles per game in conference play ranked third overall and first among players from bowl-eligible teams.

Sutton has eight touchdowns and 672 receiving yards on 34 catches, allowing him to rank 11th nationally at 19.8 yards per reception, and Hannon has started all 24 of his career games at center. Greer, a fifth-year senior, emerged as a preseason option to start at right tackle and has played that position well all season for the Mountaineers.

The statistical highlights for the third-team selections include 80 tackles from Flory, two interceptions with 31 tackles from Hayes and three touchdown receptions from Reed. Evans opened the season with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Penn State, and Duck's punt return for a touchdown against Gardner-Webb has helped him rank No. 9 nationally at 13.3 yards per return.

Josh Thomas is a junior captain with two interceptions and 33 tackles as a starting safety, and Cook has a team-high 9.0 tackles for loss among his 61 tackles in just 10 games. Neuzil has graded out extremely well as App State's starting left guard, and the PFF College site ranked Pearson as the nation's fifth-best true freshman tight end. He has 13 catches for 159 yards and one touchdown.

2018 Sun Belt All-Conference Football Teams

Player of the Year: Justice Hansen (Arkansas State, QB, RS-Senior)
Offensive Player of the Year: Zac Thomas (Appalachian State, QB, Sophomore)
Defensive Player of the Year: Ronheen Bingham (Arkansas State, DE, Senior)
Newcomer of the Year: Kirk Merrit (Arkansas Sate, WR, Junior)
Freshman of the Year: Marcel Murray (Arkansas State, RB, Freshman)
Coach of the Year: Scott Satterfield (Appalachian State)

First Team Offense
QB - Justice Hansen (Arkansas State, RS-Senior)
RB - Darrynton Evans (Appalachian State, Sophomore)
RB - B.J. Smith (Troy, Junior)
WR - Kirk Merrit (Arkansas State, Junior)
WR - Marcus Green (ULM, Senior)
WR - Damion Willis (Troy, Senior)
TE - Keenen Brown (Texas State, Senior)
OL - Victor Johnson (Appalachian State, Junior)
OL - Lanard Bonner (Arkansas State, Senior)
OL - Curtis Rainey (Georgia Southern, Senior)
OL - Kevin Dotson (Louisiana, Junior)
OL - Kirk Kelley (Troy, Junior)

First Team Defense
DL - MyQuon Stout (Appalachian State, Senior)
DL - Ronheen Bingham (Arkansas State, Senior)
DL - Jeffrey Gunter (Coastal Carolina, Sophomore)
DL - Trevon Sanders (Troy, Senior)
LB - Jordan Fehr (Appalachian State, Junior)
LB - Bryan London II (Texas State, Junior)
LB - Hunter Reese (Troy, Senior)
DB - Clifton Duck (Appalachian State, Junior)
DB - Desmond Franklin (Appalachian State, Junior)
DB - Justin Clifton (Arkansas State, Senior)
DB - Kindle Vildor (Georgia Southern, Junior)
DB - Cedarius Rookard (Troy, Senior)

First Team Special Teams
K - Tyler Bass (Georgia Southern, Junior)
P - Brandon Wright (Georgia State, Junior)
RS - Marcus Jones (Troy, Sophomore)
AP - Marcus Green (ULM, Senior)

Second Team Offense
QB - Zac Thomas (Appalachian State, Sophomore)
RB - Elijah Mitchell (Louisiana, Sophomore)
RB - Wesley Fields (Georgia Southern, Senior)
WR - Corey Sutton (Appalachian State, Sophomore)
WR - Justin McInnis (Arkansas State, Senior)
WR - Jamarius Way (South Alabama, Senior)
TE - Javonis Isaac (Arkansas State, Sophomore)
OL - Chandler Greer (Appalachian State, Senior)
OL - Noah Hannon (Appalachian State, Sophomore)
OL - Jeremiah Culbreth (Georgia Southern, Senior)
OL - Robert Hunt (Louisiana, Junior)
OL - Deontae Crumitie (Troy, Senior)

Second Team Defense
DL - William Bradley-King (Arkansas State, Sophomore)
DL - Forrest Merrill (Arkansas State, Junior)
DL - Raymond Johnson (Georgia Southern, Sophomore)
DL - Tyree Turner (South Alabama, Junior)
LB - Akeem Davis-Gaither (Appalachian State, Junior)
LB - David Griffith (ULM, Senior)
LB - Bull Barge (South Alabama, Senior)
LB - Tron Folsom (Troy, Junior)
DB - Jerry Jacobs (Arkansas State, Sophomore)
DB - Monquavion Brinson (Georgia Southern, Junior)
DB - Nigel Lawrence (South Alabama, Senior)
DB - Marcus Jones (Troy, Sophomore)

Second Team Special Teams
K - Tyler Sumpter (Troy, Sophomore)
P - Cody Grace (Arkansas State, Junior)
RS - Tra Minter (South Alabama, Junior)
AP - Tra Minter (South Alabama, Junior)

Third Team Offense
QB - Caleb Evans (ULM, Junior)
RB - Marcel Murray (Arkansas State, Freshman)
RB - Trey Ragas (Louisiana, Sophomore)
WR - Penny Hart (Georgia State, Junior)
WR - Ja'Marcus Bradley (Louisiana, Junior)
WR - Deondre Douglas (Troy, Senior)
TE - Collin Reed (Appalachian State, Junior)
OL - Hunter Atkinson (Georgia State, Junior)
OL - T.J. Fiailoa (ULM, Sophomore)
OL - Bobby Reynolds (ULM, Junior)
OL - Tristan Crowder (Troy, Junior)
OL - J.l. Gaston (Troy, Junior)

Third Team Defense
DL - Tarron Jackson (Coastal Carolina, Sophomore)
DL - Logan Hunt (Georgia Southern, Senior)
DL - Zi'Yon Hill (Louisiana, Freshman)
DL - Antione Barker (Troy, Junior)
DL - Jarvis Hayes (Troy, Junior)
LB - Anthony Flory (Appalachian State, Senior)
LB - Jacques Boudreaux (Louisiana, Junior)
LB - Nikolas Daniels (Texas State, Junior)
DB - Tae Hayes (Appalachian State, Senior)
DB - Darreon Jackson (Arkansas State, Junior)
DB - Blace Brown (Troy, Senior)
DB - Tyler Murray (Troy, Sophomore)

Third Team Special Teams
K - Massimo Biscardi (Coastal Carolina, Freshman)
P - Tyler Sumpter (Troy, Sophomore)
RS - Clifton Duck (Appalachian State, Junior)
AP - Darrynton Evans (Appalachian State, Sophomore)

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Wake Forest sophomore Greg Dortch has been named the recipient of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 2018 Brian Piccolo Award, as announced by the league on Thursday.

The Piccolo Award has been given annually since 1970 in memory of the late Brian Piccolo to the "most courageous" football player in the ACC. As a standout running back at Wake Forest, Piccolo was the ACC Athlete of the Year in 1965 and played for the Chicago Bears before his career was cut short when he was diagnosed with cancer. His courageous fight against the disease was an inspiration to the Bears and the entire football community.

Dortch will be recognized this weekend during activities surrounding the 2018 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game, which is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.

Photo Credit: Ted Gangi (College Press Box)

Dortch appeared headed for a record-setting season as a redshirt freshman in 2017, making his mark for the Demon Deacons as one of the ACC’s premier wide receivers and a dynamic punt and kickoff return man. But the Richmond, Virginia native suffered a rupture of the small intestine in a win over Louisville in the eighth game, an injury that required season-ending emergency surgery and clouded his football future.

He endured countless hours of full body rehab in the months that followed, but Dortch worked his way back onto the field by the start of spring practice. Any remaining doubts about his ability to go full speed evaporated during a 2018 season in which he earned two All-ACC first-team honors, as both a return specialist and all-purpose player.

Dortch will enter Wake Forest’s upcoming bowl game leading the league in all-purpose yards with 145.8 per game and topping the league in punt return average at 11.0 yards. As a receiver, Dortch leads the Demon Deacons with 89 receptions for 1,078 yards and eight touchdowns.

He now ranks second in school history in receiving yards in a season and has tallied 19 touchdowns in 20 career games. Dortch ranks 11th nationally in all-purpose yards, 12th in punt return average, and 16th nationally in combined kick return yards.

“We are very proud and honored that Greg Dortch is receiving the Brian Piccolo Award,” Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson said. “This award is special because Brian is a Wake Forest graduate and he left a tremendous legacy, not only on campus but throughout the nation with his strength and courage. Greg has done a phenomenal job this year of working hard through his rehab and being dedicated to improving as a football player. Not only has Greg become an outstanding receiver, kick returner and punt returner, but he continues to develop as a leader and as a teammate.”

Dortch becomes the fifth student-athlete from Wake Forest to earn the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award and the first since defensive end Matt Robinson in 2007.

ACC Brian Piccolo Award Winners
1970   Paul Miller, QB, North Carolina
1971      Jim Webster, LB, North Carolina
1972      Mark Johnson, QB, Duke
1973      Al Neville, QB, Maryland
1974      David Visaggio, DG, Maryland
1975      Scott Gardner, QB, Virginia
1976      Jeff Green, DE, Duke
1977      Ralph Stringer, DB, NC State
1978      Rex Varn, DB, Clemson
1979      not available
1980      Jack Cain, DB,Clemson
1981      Aaron Stewart, DB, Duke
1982      Kenny Duckett, WR, Wake Forest
1983      John Piedmonte, OLB,Wake Forest
1984      J.D. Maarleveld, T, Maryland
1985      Danny Burmeister, DB, N. Carolina
1986      Ray Williams, WR, Clemson
1987      no recipient
1988      Jerry Mays, TB, Georgia Tech
1989      Michael Anderson, RB, Maryland
1990      Marc Mays, WR, Duke
1991      Scott Adell, T, NC State
1992      Dan Footman, DE, Florida State
               Randy Cuthbert, TB, Duke
1993      Scott Youmans, DL, Duke
1994      Chris Harrison, T, Virginia
1995      Warren Forney, DT, Clemson
1996      John Lewis, RB, Wake Forest
1997      Sam Cowart, LB, Florida State
1998      Anthony Poindexter, DB, Virginia
             Corey Simon, DT, Florida State
1999      Chris Weinke, QB, Florida State
2000      Ed Wilder, FB, Georgia Tech
2001      Matt Crawford, T, Maryland
2002      Anquan Boldin, WR, Florida State
2003      Kevin Bailey, OL, Virginia
2004      Frank Gore, RB, Miami
2005      Ryan Best, S, Virginia
2006      Glenn Sharpe, Miami
2007      Matt Robinson, DE, Wake Forest
2008      Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina
2009      Toney Baker, RB, NC State
2010      Mark Herzlich, LB, Boston College
               Nate Irving, LB, NC State
2011      Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina
2012      Shayon Green, DE, Miami
               Chris Thompson, RB, Florida State
2013      Robert Godhigh, RB, Georgia Tech
2014      Duke Johnson, RB, Miami
2015      Hunter Knighton, OL, Miami
2016      James Conner, RB, Pitt
2017      Trevon Young, DE, Louisville
2018      Greg Dortch, WR/KR, Wake Forest