Rousseau Named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year
GREENSBORO, N.C. — University of Miami redshirt freshman defensive end Gregory Rousseau was recognized as the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year, it was announced Wednesday.
Rousseau ran away with the honor, earning 51 votes. Defensive tackle Tyler Davis of Clemson was second with eight votes, while linebacker Shaka Heyward of Duke finished with one vote.
One of the nation’s top defensive ends, Rousseau enjoyed a breakout campaign in his first season as a starter. The Coconut Creek, Fla., native finished with an ACC-leading 14 sacks – a total tied for second-most in the nation – and was tied for 10th in the country with 18 tackles for loss.
Rousseau had at least one sack in eight games and had five performances with multiple tackles for loss. The redshirt freshman became the second Hurricane to ever win ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, joining former linebacker Sean Spence, who took home the award in 2008.
Among Rousseau’s top performances of the year came in his first-ever appearance versus rival Florida State on the road in Tallahassee on Nov. 2. Rousseau finished the game with a career-high five tackles for loss and four sacks in a dominant win, earning Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors for his performance.
In his first start as a Hurricane on Oct. 11 versus Virginia, Rousseau had seven tackles, two tackles for loss, one 10-yard sack and a forced fumble. He had a three-sack game in a win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 26 and had two sacks in Miami’s regular season finale at Duke on Nov. 30.
