ACC Football: NoVa freshman at Syracuse named ACC Rookie of the Week

Ike Daniels, a three-star running back from Stafford (Mountain View HS), was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for his output in Syracuse’s 65-0 win over Colgate on Saturday.

Daniels, a true freshman, ran for 63 yards on 11 carries and caught two balls for 15 yards in his first collegiate game.

Daniels, the 27th-ranked recruit in the state of Virginia in the Class of 2023, per 247Sports, chose Syracuse from among a number of college suitors, including Virginia.

ACC Players of the Week

QUARTERBACK – Jordan Travis, Florida State, QB, West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Heisman Trophy candidate threw for 342 yards with a career-high four touchdown passes in FSU’s 45-24 win over No. 5 LSU at the Camping World Kickoff game in Orlando, Florida. He tied his career high with five total touchdowns after adding a one-yard touchdown run, the 25th of his career. His 380 yards of total offense are the fifth-most in a game this season, while nationally, he is the only player with at least four touchdown passes and a touchdown run against a top-five team in the regular season over the past 10 seasons.

RUNNING BACK – British Brooks, North Carolina, RB, Gastonia, N.C.

After missing all of last season due to an injury, Brooks returned to the field in a big way in North Carolina’s 31-17 win over South Carolina at the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina. The running back rushed 15 times for 103 yards for the Tar Heels, notching the second 100-yard rushing game of his career.

RECEIVER – Keon Coleman, Florida State, WR, Opelousas, La.

Coleman caught nine passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns, including a 40-yard touchdown on his first catch as a Seminole in Florida State’s 45-24 win over No. 5 LSU. In the season opener, he recorded the first three-touchdown game for a Nole since 2017 and the first in an opener since 2013. The three touchdown grabs were the most in an FSU debut in school history, as the first two TD catches gave FSU a lead and then tied the game en route to the win.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Bless Harris, Florida State, LT, New Orleans, La.

Ranked as FSU’s top-graded offensive lineman in the 45-24 win over No. 5 LSU, Harris entered the game for an injured player at the end of the first quarter and played the rest of the way, logging 55 snaps. He was part of the FSU offensive line that did not allow a sack for just the 16th time over the last decade and the second time in the last two years against LSU. Behind Harris and the offensive line, quarterback Jordan Travis set a career-high with four touchdown passes and tied a career-high with five total touchdowns in the top-5 win.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina, Jack, Hartwell, Ga.

Named the Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week earlier this week, for games ending Sept. 2, Rucker recorded eight tackles (six solo), including 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and two quarterback sacks as North Carolina opened the 2023 season with a 31-17 victory over the Gamecocks in the Duke’s Mayo Classic. Rucker led a Tar Heel defense that tallied nine sacks and limited South Carolina to minus-2 yards rushing for the game.

LINEBACKER – Payton Wilson, NC State, LB, Hillsborough, N.C.

Wilson led the Wolfpack with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, in the season-opening road win at UConn. He added a tackle-for-loss and an interception in the fourth quarter that helped seal the victory. Overall, the NC State defense held the Huskies to 14 points and 273 total yards for the game.

DEFENSIVE BACK – Jeremiah Lewis, Duke, S, Lewisville, Texas

In Duke’s first win over an Associated Press top-10 opponent since 1989 with a 28-7 win over No. 9 Clemson on Labor Day, Lewis led the Blue Devils’ defense with 11 tackles, one pass breakup and a fumble recovery that came with Clemson on the Duke seven-yard line midway through the third quarter. Overall the Duke defense held the Tigers to just one score in four red zone possessions and forced three turnovers in the second half.

SPECIALIST – Brock Travelstead, Louisville, K/P, Acworth, Ga.

In the Cardinals’ 39-34 come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech at the Aflac Kickoff Classic in Atlanta, Georgia, Travelstead became just the sixth Louisville kicker to make 4-of-4 field goal attempts in a game, joining Nate Smith, Art Carmody, Chris Philpott, Blanton Creque, and James Turner. He connected on field goals of 33, 30, 22, and 38 yards in the win, while also handling the punting chores, averaging 46.2 yards with a long of 48 yards.