ACC Preseason Honors
Darian Mensah, the Miami quarterback who guided Duke to its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship last season, has been crowned the 2026 ACC Football Preseason Player of the Year. The league announced that Mensah collected 97 votes, the most of any candidate, cementing his status as the favorite for the upcoming campaign.
Miami enters the season as the preseason favorite to capture the conference title, a prediction bolstered by nine selections to the All-ACC team. Among those honorees is Malachi Toney, who earned three nods, while Clemson and Virginia each contributed four players to the list.
Mensah’s accolades extend beyond the preseason award. He was named MVP of both the ACC Championship Game and the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, and he finished the 2025 campaign atop the conference with 34 touchdown passes and 3,973 passing yards. His performance earned him second-team All-ACC honors and the Associated Press Newcomer Transfer of the Year award.
The 2026 ACC Football Championship Game is slated for December 5 at noon Eastern Time, will be televised on ABC, and will feature the top teams vying for the conference crown.