Nine Canes Selected to the All-ACC Coaches Team
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Nine University of Miami football student-athletes were named to the 2015 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team as selected by the league’s 14 head coaches.
Artie Burns (second team), Stacy Coley (second team), Michael Badgley (third team), Deon Bush (third team), Brad Kaaya (third team), Rashawn Scott (third team), Joe Yearby (third team), Danny Isidora (honorable mention) and Justin Vogel (honorable mention) were each selected to this year’s team.
Under the auspices of the ACC, the league’s 14 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 and ballots were worth three points for each first-team, two points for each second-team and one point for each third-team selection.
The 2015 Coaches All-ACC team is similar to the All-ACC squad announced last week by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA), as the two voting bodies agreed on all of the major award winners with only a slight difference on the overall Rookie of the Year selection (Whitehead finished ahead of Ollison to take the honor outright in the ACSMA voting).
Burns received the second-team honor after posting a breakout 2015 campaign. The junior cornerback from Miami, Fla., led the ACC with six interceptions and ranked fifth nationally. His six interceptions this season are the most by Hurricane since Sean Taylor’s 10 picks in 2003. Earlier this season, Burns collected interceptions in three-consecutive games and became the first Hurricane to accomplish that feat since Taylor did so in 2003.
Coley’s second team recognition came following a junior season which saw him lead the team with 645 receiving yards. Coley, who battled an injury throughout the first four games of the year, closed out 2015 on a high note. In the final eight games of the regular season, Coley totaled 15.1 yards per catch and averaged 79.2 yards per game. He finished the year with 645 yards receiving, three touchdowns and posted a pair of 100-yard receiving games. The Pompano Beach, Fla. native’s 634 yards in conference games led the league.
Badgley received third team recognition after posting a record-breaking year in 2015 where he connected on 25-of-30 field goals and was a perfect 38-of-38 on extra points. Badgley, who joined the team as a walk-on in 2014 and was put on scholarship prior to the 2015 season, led the nation in field goals per game and ranked eighth in the country in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game. His 113 points currently rank second on the all-time single season list for a UM kicker, while his 25 field goals made are a single-season school record.
Bush earned third team honors after he posting a strong senior campaign at safety. Bush finished sixth on the team in tackles with 47 stops. He also totaled 3.0 tackles for loss and posted five-or-more tackles in six games this season. In addition, he helped anchor the nation’s 29th–best defense against the pass.
Kaaya also earned third-team honors after he posted another stellar season under center for the Hurricanes. The Los Angeles, Calif. native led the ACC in passing yards per game averaging 274.5 yards through the air. In addition the sophomore signal-caller ranked in the top 50 in seven national statistical categories and is one of just three players nationally to throw for 3,000-or-more yards, 10-or-more touchdowns and have four-or-fewer interceptions. Kaaya closed the regular season with 3,019 yards passing, 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He is just the third player in school history to throw for 3,000-or-more yards in back-to-back seasons.
Scott was selected to the third team after he led the team in receptions (47) and receiving touchdowns (5). The senior wide receiver also surpassed 100 yards receiving on three separate occasions, including a 151-yard receiving effort in an overtime win vs. Nebraska.
Yearby was named third team following a breakout season where he rushed for 939 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He also scored six rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns. He is one of our four players that started in every game this season.
Isidora received honorable mention accolades after he helped pave the way for the Hurricanes’ offense to average 401.4 yards of total offense. The junior from Weston, Fla., also was one of just four players this season to start every game for the Hurricanes. Isidora has made 25-consecutive starts on the Hurricanes’ offensive line.
Vogel also took home honorable mention recognition after he averaged 43.0 yards per punt. The junior punter’s 43.0 yards per punt average ranked sixth in the ACC. The Tampa, Fla. native’s 73-yard punt against Clemson was a season long. Vogel also drilled 12 punts over 50 yards and placed 19 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Clemson sophomore Deshaun Watson was named ACC Player of the Year. Duke senior safety Jeremy Cash was voted the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, while Clemson’s Dabo Swinney earned Coach of the Year honors. The Pitt duo of Jordan Whitehead and Qadree Ollison shared the coaches’ overall ACC Rookie of the Year award. Whitehead, a freshman safety, was voted the Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Ollison, a first-year running back, earned Offensive Rookie of the Year accolades.
The Hurricanes closed the regular season by winning four of the last five games and finished with an 8-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the ACC. Miami will take on Washington State in the 2015 Hyundai Sun on Saturday, December 26. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
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Miami Hurricanes All-ACC Selections
Second Team Offense
WR – Stacy Coley, Jr.
Third Team Offense
WR – Rashawn Scott, Sr.-R
QB – Brad Kaaya, So.
RB – Joe Yearby, So.
K – Michael Badgeley, So.
Honorable Mention: Offense
T – Danny Isadora, Jr.
Second Team Defense
CB – Artie Burns, Jr.
Third Team Defense
S – Deon Bush, Sr.
Honorable Mention: Defense
P – Justin Vogel, Jr.
