Botts Named to 2012 Preseason All-ACC Team
GREENSBORO, N.C. – University of Miami senior punter Dalton Botts was named to the 2012 Preseason All-ACC Football team, the conference announced Wednesday. The Preseason All-ACC team was voted on by media members at the annual ACC Football Kickoff.
The Taft, Calif., native was the lone Hurricane player tabbed to the Preseason All-ACC team. Botts, who served as the Hurricanes’ punter in all 12 games as a junior last season, finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 42.7 yards-per-punt average in 2011.
He booted a season-long 62-yarder in the season finale against Boston College and had one of his best games against then-No. 17 Ohio State with an average of 47.8 yards on four attempts. He had only three touchbacks in 48 attempts, with 11 kicks inside the 20 and 11 punts of at least 50 yards.
Earlier this month, Botts was named to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which honors the nation’s top collegiate punter.
Miami will open fall camp on Fri., Aug. 3, and will open the 2012 season on Sept. 1 with an ACC matchup at Boston College.
Preseason All-ACC Team
Offense
| Position | Name (Votes) | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown |
| Wide Receiver | Conner Vernon, Duke (41) | 6-2 | 195 | Senior | Miami, Fla. |
| Wide Receiver | Sammy Watkins, Clemson (68) | 6-1 | 200 | Sophomore | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| Tight End | Matt Furstenburg, Maryland (35) | 6-4 | 245 | Senior | Flemington, N.J. |
| Tackle | James Hurst, North Carolina (48) | 6-7 | 300 | Junior | Plainfield, Ind. |
| Tackle | Oday Aboushi, Virginia (29) | 6-6 | 310 | Senior | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Guard | Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech (57) | 6-3 | 300 | Senior | Lithonia, Ga. |
| Guard | Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina (55) | 6-3 | 295 | Senior | Wilmington, N.C. |
| Center | Dalton Freeman, Clemson (58) | 6-3 | 285 | Senior | Pelion, S.C. |
| Quarterback | Tajh Boyd, Clemson (29) | 6-1 | 225 | Junior | Hampton, Va. |
| Running Back | Giovani Bernard, North Carolina (60) | 5-10 | 205 | Sophomore | Davie, Fla. |
| Running Back | Andre Ellington, Clemson (53) | 5-10 | 190 | Senior | Moncks Corner, S.C. |
Defense
| Position | Name (Votes) | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown |
| Defensive End | Brandon Jenkins, Florida State (59) | 6-3 | 265 | Senior | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Defensive End | James Gayle, Virginia Tech (31) | 6-4 | 250 | Junior | Hampton, Va. |
| Defenive Tackle | Joe Vellano, Maryland (58) | 6-1 | 285 | Senior | Rexford, N.Y. |
| Defensive Tackle | Nikita Whitlock, Wake Forest (33) | 5-11 | 260 | Junior | Wylie, Texas |
| Linebacker | Kevin Reddick, North Carolina (49) | 6-3 | 240 | Senior | New Bern, N.C. |
| Linebacker | Bruce Taylor, Virginia Tech (42) | 6-2 | 253 | Senior | Riceboro, Ga. |
| Linebacker | Steve Greer, Virginia (32) | 6-2 | 225 | Senior | Solon, Ohio |
| Cornerback | David Amerson, NC State (63) | 6-3 | 194 | Junior | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Cornerback | Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech (25) | 6-0 | 181 | Junior | Baltimore, Md. |
| Safety | Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State (45) | 5-8 | 204 | Junior | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. |
| Safety | Earl Wolff, NC State (30) | 6-0 | 207 | Senior | Raeford, N.C. |
Specialists
| Position | Name (Votes) | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown |
| Place Kicker | Dustin Hopkins, Florida State (54) | 6-2 | 190 | Senior | Houston, Texas |
| Punter | Dalton Botts, Miami (65) | 6-3 | 198 | Senior | Taft, Calif. |
| Specialist | Greg Reid, Florida State (35) | 5-8 | 186 | Senior | Valdosta, Ga. |
