Who Are The Best Special Teams Players?
Hello everyone and welcome back to our ongoing series looking at the best returning players in football. We started with the Big 12. and today our focus is the ACC. Of course, the league is no exception to expansion madness as they’ve added three new teams. California and Stanford left the Pac-12 while SMU departed the American Conference. As a result the league now has 17 teams not including Notre Dame. We begin our look at the ACC’s top returning Specialists In 2024 with the kickers. Before reading on, here are a couple of ground rules. If a player transferred from within the ACC they can make the list. However, if they transferred from outside of the ACC into the conference, they won’t be considered.
Coming Through In The Clutch
3. Ryan Fitzgerald– Florida State- The redshirt senior made all 58 of his extra point attempts for the ACC Champs. Furthermore, he made 19 of 21 field goals giving him 115 points total. Fitzgerald’s extra points and total points led the league. He earned third-team All-ACC honors. For his career, his 299 points puts him ninth in school history and was also a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award.
2. Noah Burnette– North Carolina- Appearing in 11 games last season Burnette made all 43 of his extra points and 19 of 2o field goals. His 95 percent make rate led the league and was fourth in the country. He was a second-team All-ACC selection. In addition, he made all six of his kicks from beyond 40 yards.
1. Andres Borregales– Miami– Last year he was second on our list. In 2024 he heads it. A year ago he put together an impressive season for the Hurricanes, converting on 44 or 45 extra points and 22 of 26 field goals. As a result, he made first-team All-ACC. In addition, his 110 points were second in the league and 13th in the nation. Borregales was a semi-finalist for the Groza Award. He heads our list of top kickers.
As we move along with the ACC’s top returning specialists in 2024 let’s count down the top punters.
Big Game Boomers
3. Caden Noonkester– North Carolina State– The redshirt junior led the league in punts with 71 and 3,022 yards. His big game came against Virginia when he averaged 50 yards on eight punts including two downed inside the 10-yard line. For his career, he boasts the third-best punt average (42.7) in school history
2. Jack Stonehouse– Syracuse- After transferring from Missouri Stonehouse had a big season for the Orangemen. His 44.6-yard average put him third in the ACC and 21st in the nation. In 2023 he landed 18 punts inside the 20-yard line and 19 of 50 yards or more. As a result, he earned third-team All-ACC honors.
1. Alex Mastromanno– Florida State– The Australia native joins his teammate on our list. In 2023 the redshirt senior finished second in the ACC in all major punting categories. Mastromanno punted 66 times for 3,002 yards and a 45.2-yard average per punt. Due to his strong season, he made second-team All-ACC. In addition, he was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award. He’s the first player in school history to be a finalist. With another big year, he’s looking for the top spot in 2024.
As we finish up with our look at the ACC’s top returning specialists for 2024 let’s move to the return men. Of course, with the changes in rules, there aren’t as many opportunities for returns. However, these guys can flip a game’s momentum anytime they touch the ball.
Game-Changing Performers
3. Demond Claiborne– Wake Forest– As a sophomore Claiborne only returned 10 kicks but made the most of them. His 28 yards per-return average would have finished seventh in the nation if he had enough attempts. Claiborne returned a kick 96 yards for a touchdown against Virginia Tech. In addition, he placed seventh in the ACC in all-purpose yards. He finished last year as an honorable mention All-ACC performer.
2. Tucker Holloway– Virginia Tech- Our top punt returner comes from the Hokies. Last season the junior returned 20 punts for 258 yards. His 12.9 average per return led the ACC and was seventh in the nation. Holloway had a 66-yard return against Old Dominion that’s the longest of his career. He was a third-team All-ACC selection in 2023.
1. Brashard Smith– SMU- The ACC’s leading kickoff return man has a new team in 2024. Playing for Miami last season Smith led the league with 579 return yards and a 29-yard average. In addition, he took one to the house 98 yards against Texas A&M. His strong season resulted in second-team All-ACC honors as a specialist. With the Mustangs now in the league, Smith looks to earn top honors for a second squad.
That’s our list of the ACC’s top returning specialists for 2024 here at Last Word On College Football. Do you agree with our list or did we leave someone out? Let us know by leaving a comment.
