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Colleges

20 ACC names to know for the 2012 football season

Aug 30, 2012

Over the next few weeks, leading up to the college football season, Mark Thomas will fill you in on the top 20 names you need to know from around the ACC.

From top coaches, to up-and-coming players, to Heisman hopefuls, ACC players have the talent to make national headlines. Yes, the big names will make the list, but some names may surprise you.

One name will be revealed each weekday on Mark and Mike on 99.9 The Fan at 5:20 a.m. and again on 620 The Buzz at 8:40 a.m.

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ACC names to know

 

	Name	School	Pos.	Why you need to know
20.	Earl Wolff	NC State	Safety	He gets the guys in position to make the plays
19.	Nikita Whitlock	Wake Forest	NT	He's the best at attacking the line of scrimmage
18.	Sylvester Williams	North Carolina	DT	He knows how to be physical at the point of attack.
17.	Rick Petri	Duke	D-line coach	Getting Duke to a bowl game starts with the defensive front
16.	Tanner Price	Wake Forest	QB	He controls the offense.
15.	Troy Walters	NC State	WR coach	He has young, inexperienced talent that needs to be taught.
14.	Conner Vernon	Duke	WR	When it's said and done, Vernon will be the ACC leader in receptions and receiving yards.
13.	Chris Kapilovich	North Carolina	O-line coach	He brings that attitude and excitement to North Carolina.
12.	Perry Jones	Virginia	RB	Big legs, small in stature, but can run between the tackles and catch out of the backfield.
11.	Kevin Reddick	North Carolina	LB	Arguably one of the best LB's in the ACC and going to be playing on Sunday.
10.	Bruce Taylor	Virginia Tech	LB	The best linebacker on the best defense in the ACC, bar none.
9.	Brent Venables	Clemson	D coordinator	If they are going to be for real, they are going to need Venables' defense to fly around.
8.	Andre Ellington	Clemson	RB	A physical back that can run between the tackles and can run out of the shotgun and the I-formation in goalline situations.
7.	David Amerson	NC State	CB	He's going to strike fear into the hearts of a lot of quarterbacks.
6.	Sammy Watkins	Clemson	WR	Sammy Watkins can be that game changer when he is focused.
5.	Brandon Jenkins	Florida State	DE	Would have been a Top-15 NFL pick, but he is back and better than before.
4.	Tajh Boyd	Clemson	QB	He has the body, the ability and the arm strength to make all the throws and all the plays.
3.	Mike Glennon	NC State	QB	A lot of pro scouts are salivating at his pocket presence, his ability to throw downfield and his control of the offense.
2.	Logan Thomas	Virginia Tech	QB	At 6-foot-6, 252 pounds, Thomas is a strong-armed quarterback that can throw it and run it for the Hokies.
1.	EJ Manuel	Florida State	QB	Best player on the best team in the ACC and potentially a Heisman Trophy candidate.