Virginia Football Lands 15 All-ACC Honorees, Led by Breakout Star J’Mari Taylor
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia football is having a season to remember, and the ACC just made it official. Fifteen Cavaliers earned All-ACC honors this week, the program’s highest total in nearly three decades, capping off a regular season that has already rewritten parts of the UVA record book.
The headliner? Running back J’Mari Taylor - a former walk-on who’s now a First Team All-ACC selection and the most productive tailback in the conference.
Taylor’s story is the kind of rise that reminds you why college football is so special. He began his career at North Carolina Central, walked on at Virginia, and now he’s one of the top backs in the ACC.
His 997 rushing yards led the conference, and he found the end zone 14 times on the ground - more than any other tailback in the league this season. Those 14 rushing scores also put him in elite company at UVA: only six other players in school history have hit that mark in a single season, and no one had done it since 2010.
Taylor’s ability to take over games was on full display multiple times this fall. He posted three 100-yard rushing performances - 150 yards against NC State, 133 at Duke, and 105 at Cal - the most by a UVA back since 2018.
And when the Cavaliers needed him most, he delivered. Taylor scored game-winning touchdowns in overtime on the road at both North Carolina and Louisville - both on direct snaps, both in pressure-cooker moments.
That’s not just production - that’s poise.
Taylor is the first Virginia running back to earn First Team All-ACC honors since Alvin Pearman did it back in 2004. That’s 21 years between selections, and it speaks volumes about how rare Taylor’s season has been.
But Taylor wasn’t the only Cavalier turning heads this fall.
Center Brady Wilson and punter Daniel Sparks earned spots on the All-ACC Second Team. Sparks, in particular, continues to build a legacy of his own in Charlottesville.
With this year’s honor, he becomes just the second punter in UVA history - along with Will Brice - to be named All-ACC three times (2022, 2024, and 2025). That kind of consistency is hard to come by at any position, let alone one as specialized as punter.
On the Third Team, wide receiver Trell Harris, offensive linemen McKale Boley and Noah Josey, linebacker Kam Robinson, and safety Devin Neal all earned recognition. For Robinson, it’s a step up from his honorable mention nod last season, while Neal adds a third-team honor to the one he earned last year at Louisville before transferring to UVA.
Virginia also had a strong showing on the honorable mention list, with quarterback Chandler Morris, tight end Sage Ennis, all-purpose weapon Cam Ross, defensive end Mitchell Melton, defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter, cornerback Ja’son Prevard, and kicker Will Bettridge all earning votes.
In total, the 15 selections mark Virginia’s most since 1996, when the program had 16 players honored. It’s also the fifth straight year the Cavaliers have had at least one player named to the First Team - a sign of steady development and growing talent across the roster.
And the timing couldn’t be better. Virginia is heading into the ACC Championship Game with a 10-2 record (7-1 in conference), tied for the most wins in a single season in program history.
They finished atop the ACC standings outright for the first time ever and are riding that momentum into a rematch with Duke, who they beat earlier this season. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, with national coverage on ABC and ESPN Radio.
The Cavaliers are ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25 and No. 18 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. But with a conference title on the line and a shot at a New Year’s Six bowl still in play, the stakes are only getting higher.
The ACC will announce its individual awards - including Player of the Year and Coach of the Year - later this week. Based on how things have gone so far, don’t be surprised if a few more Cavaliers hear their names called.
Virginia’s 2025 All-ACC Honorees
First Team
- RB: J’Mari Taylor
Second Team
- C: Brady Wilson
- P: Daniel Sparks
Third Team
- WR: Trell Harris
- OT: McKale Boley
- OG: Noah Josey
- LB: Kam Robinson
- S: Devin Neal
Honorable Mention
- QB: Chandler Morris
- TE: Sage Ennis
- AP: Cam Ross
- DE: Mitchell Melton
- DT: Jahmeer Carter
- CB: Ja’son Prevard
- PK: Will Bettridge
As the Cavaliers prepare for their biggest game in decades, one thing is clear - this team is loaded with talent, and the rest of the ACC has taken notice.