Nine Hurricanes Earn Athlon Sports All-ACC Honors
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Nine University of Miami football student-athletes were recognized by Athlon Sports this week as the publication announced its 2016 All-ACC Preseason Teams.
Senior punter Justin Vogel and redshirt defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad highlighted the preseason All-ACC team as both were named first team.
Junior quarterback Brad Kaaya and junior kicker Michael Badgley earned second team recognition. Seniors Stacy Coley, Jermaine Grace and Danny Isidora were tabbed third team. Rounding out the preseason all-league team is senior defensive back Corn Elder and junior running back Joe Yearby as they both earned fourth team honors.
Muhammad was selected to the first team following a breakout redshirt sophomore campaign where he led the team in sacks (5.0) and tackles for loss (8.5). He also finished third on the team in total tackles with 54. The Irvington, N.J., native started seven games a year ago and has appeared in 25 games throughout his career.
Vogel was named to the first team after another standout season handling the punting duties for the Hurricanes. The Tampa, Fla., native, finished seventh in the ACC in punting average (42.5 yards per punt) and 43rd nationally. A two-time Ray Guy Award nominee, Vogel dropped 20 punts inside-the-20 yard line and had 13 punts of 50 yards-or-more. At the end of the year, Vogel earned All-ACC honorable mention recognition by the coaches.
Kaaya earned second team recognition thanks to a strong sophomore season where he threw for over 3,000 yards for the second straight year, passed for 16 touchdowns and had just five interceptions. Kaaya was one of just three players nationally to throw for 3,000-or-more yards, 10-or-more touchdowns and five-or-fewer interceptions. Following the 2015 season, Kaaya earned All-ACC third team honors by the coaches and Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. The Los Angeles, Calif., native enters his junior season with 6,436 career passing yards and stands fifth on the all-time career passing list at Miami.
Badgley was selected to the second team following a near perfect 2015 campaign. In 2015, Badgley finished the regular season 25-of-30 in field goal attempts and was a perfect 40-for-40 in extra point attempts. Badgley set the school record with 25 made field goals, improving on the previous school record of 22 set in 2003 by Jon Peattie. Following the 2015 season, the Summit, N.J., native earned All-ACC third team honors from the coaches and All-ACC honorable mention from ACSMA.
Coley was named to the third team following a standout 2015 season where he averaged 79.2 per game in conference play, which ranked second in the ACC. The Pompano Beach, Fla., native finished the 2015 season on a high note as he caught at least three passes in each of the final nine games and had 678 yards over that span. Coley finished the year with 47 receptions, 689 yards and four touchdowns. At the end of the 2015 season, Coley received All-ACC second team recognition from the coaches and All-ACC third team honors from ACSMA.
Grace earned third team recognition after he led the team with 79 tackles (44 solo) in 2015. Grace was a consistent force for the Hurricanes as he started 10 of 13 games. The Miami Gardens, Fla., native also posted six tackles for loss and two sacks and was third on the team with five pass breakups.
Isidora was tabbed to the third team following a 2015 season where he established himself as one of the Hurricanes’ most reliable offensive lineman. The Weston, Fla., native enters his senior season having made starts in 26 straight games. He was one of just four players on last year’s team to start in all 13 games. This past season, Isidora helped lead the team to a No. 29 national ranking in passing offense (277.4 yards per game). He also helped anchor an offensive line that was ranked eighth nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed (4.31 average).
Yearby’s fourth team honor came following a breakout 2015 campaign where he rushed for over 1,000 yards (1,002) and had six touchdowns. Yearby averaged 4.9 yards per carry and had 77.1 yards per game. He also ranked fourth on the team with 23 receptions. Yearby finished the year as one of just four Hurricanes that started in every game during the 2015 campaign. Following the year, the Miami, Fla., native was named All-ACC third team by the coaches and honorable mention by ACSMA.
Elder earned All-ACC fourth team honors thanks to a breakout 2015 campaign where he posted career highs in total tackles (41), sacks (2.0) and interceptions (2). He also started in seven of the 13 Hurricane games in 2015.
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