Ten Tar Heels earn All-ACC honors

Ten different Tar Heels earned All-ACC recognition on Wednesday after a 9-3 regular season.

Bob Donnan/USA Today Sports

The All-ACC honors were announced on Tuesday on ACC Network's ACC PM with Mark Packer, Tre Boston, and Taylor Tannebaum.

Ten different Tar Heels earned All-ACC recognition with Drake Maye, Josh Downs, and Cedric Gray earning First Team honors.

Introducing your All-ACC Tar Heels 🐏#CarolinaFootball 🏈 #UNCommon pic.twitter.com/G9BbNeaHDn

— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) November 29, 2022

Maye has achieved one of the best seasons in program history, amassing 3,847 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns, while rushing for 629 yards and six touchdowns.

He paced the ACC in passing yards and touchdowns, also ranking top 10 in the nation in the aforementioned categories.

Josh Downs, who missed two games in the non-conference slate, was selected to the First Team as a wide receiver and the Second Team as an all-purpose player.

In just 10 games, Downs recorded 83 catches for 929 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a punt returner, he used nine returns to tally 127 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, Cedric Gray earned the distinction for North Carolina, leading the conference and ranking fifth in the Power 5 with 130 total tackles.

The lone Tar Heel outside of Downs to be named to the Second Team is cornerback Storm Duck. Playing in his first full season since his freshman campaign in 2019, Duck was a bright spot in the North Carolina secondary with 46 total tackles, 12 pass deflections, and three interceptions.

Antoine Green, Asim Richards, and Ben Kiernan were all selected to the All-ACC Third Team. Green was a star in the wide receiver unit in Chapel Hill, tallying 38 receptions for 745 yards and seven touchdowns in just nine games.

Richards recorded action in all 12 regular season games for the Tar Heels, while Kiernan averaged 46.8 yards per punt, including a 70-yard boot against Georgia State.

Rounding out the awards and honors are the three North Carolina standouts that earned All-ACC Honorable Mention. Tight end Bryson Nesbit, linebacker Power Echols, and center Corey Gaynor received the honors.

As the Tar Heels turn the page following a success regular season, the 10 members to receive All-ACC recognition will compete for an ACC Championship on Saturday against the Clemson Tigers.