December 10, 2012 — University of Miami freshman Duke Johnson has been named both the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive and Overall Rookie of the Year by the league’s head coaches.
For the first time under the auspices of the ACC, the league’s 12 head coaches voted for an All-ACC football team, as well as Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year, and a Coach of the Year award. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players; first-team selections were worth two points and second-team selections one point.
Johnson, who was recently named the ACC Offensive and Overall Rookie of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association, set a single-game ACC freshman standard with 368 all-purpose yards on November 10 at Virginia. He rushed for 947 yards for the season, averaging almost 80 yards per game and breaking Clinton Portis’s single-season rushing record for a freshman.
He is the first Hurricane to win the rookie award. In 2008 linebacker Sean Spence was named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
In addition to his rookie honors, Johnson was a second-team All-ACC selection at running back and earned honorable mention as a specialist.
Six other Hurricanes earned All-ACC honorable mention recognition from the league’s coaches. Junior right tackle Seantrel Henderson, junior right guard Brandon Linder, and redshirt sophomore center Shane McDermott received honorable mention on offense, while sophomore defensive end Anthony Chickillo, sophomore linebacker Denzel Perryman, and senior safety Vaughn Telemaque earned honorable mention on defense.
Johnson picked up eight votes in both the Overall and Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, finishing five votes ahead of Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Redshirt freshman linebacker Eddie Johnson finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting with five votes and third in Overall Rookie of the Year voting with one vote.
UM Head coach Al Golden tied for third in Coach of the Year voting, receiving one vote along with North Carolina State’s Tom O’Brien and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson.
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