Miami's Darian Mensah Named 2026 ACC Preseason Player of the Year; Hurricanes Lead All-ACC Preseason Team
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Miami quarterback Darian Mensah was named the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Preseason Player of the Year, headlining the All-ACC Preseason Football Team announced by media members attending the ACC Football Kickoff.
Mensah, who was also named first-team preseason quarterback, received 97 votes to win the award. Miami was voted the preseason favorite to win the ACC title in the media's predicted order of finish, announced a day earlier.
Mensah is coming off a breakout 2025 season in which he led Duke to the program's first ACC championship, earning MVP honors in both the ACC Championship Game and the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. He was also named second-team All-ACC and the Associated Press Newcomer Transfer of the Year after leading the conference with 34 touchdown passes and 3,973 passing yards, both of which ranked second nationally. Following his transfer to Miami, his 34 touchdown passes last season are tied for the most among all returning FBS quarterbacks entering this season.
Miami led all ACC programs with nine preseason selections, paced by wide receiver and all-purpose standout Malachi Toney, who earned three selections at wide receiver, all-purpose and specialist after being named the 2025 ACC Freshman of the Year. Clemson and Virginia each had four selections, while Louisville and SMU had two apiece. Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Virginia Tech each had one selection.
The ACC enters the season as the league begins its transition to a nine-game conference schedule. The season culminates with the 2026 ACC Football Championship Game, set for noon ET Saturday, Dec. 5, on ABC.
2026 All-ACC Preseason Football Team
Offense
QB: Darian Mensah, Miami (112)*
RB: Mark Fletcher Jr., Miami (127)
RB: Isaac Brown, Louisville (94)
WR: Malachi Toney, Miami (164)
WR: Duce Robinson, Florida State (131)
WR: Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson (64)
TE: Jeremiah Hasley, Duke (61)
AP: Malachi Toney, Miami (94)
OT: PJ Williams, SMU (96)
OT: McKale Boley, Virginia (77)
OG: Noah Josey, Virginia (71)
OG: Samson Okunlola, Miami (53)
C: Josh Bates, SMU (64)
Defense
DE: Will Heldt, Clemson (87)
DE: Clev Lubin, Louisville (79)
DT: Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami (126)
DT: Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech (89)
LB: Sammy Brown, Clemson (139)
LB: Kam Robinson, Virginia (98)
LB: Mohamed Toure, Miami (64)
CB: Ashton Hampton, Clemson (81)
CB: Chris Peal, Syracuse (45)
S: Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami (86)
S: KP Price, Boston College (45)
Specialists
PK: Aidan Birr, Georgia Tech (105)
P: Daniel Sparks, Virginia (48)
SP: Malachi Toney, Miami (104)
Votes by position in parentheses. *Preseason Player of the Year. 188 media voters.
2026 ACC Football Preseason Player of the Year Voting
Darian Mensah, QB, Miami (97)
Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU (25)
Isaac Brown, RB, Louisville (16)
CJ Bailey, QB, NC State (15)
Duce Robinson, WR, Florida State (12)
Sammy Brown, LB, Clemson (11)
Kam Robinson, LB, Virginia (5)
Will Heldt, DE, Clemson (4)
Mason Heintschel, QB, Pitt (3)
Votes in parentheses. 188 media voters.
ACC Football Notes
The ACC has scheduled 25 non-conference games this season against Power Four opponents and Notre Dame, more than any other conference. That slate includes nine games against the SEC, five against the Big Ten, five against the Big 12 and six against Notre Dame. About two-thirds of the ACC's non-conference games come against Power Four or bowl-eligible opponents, and all 17 ACC teams will play at least 10 games against Power Four or Notre Dame competition. Three of the five FBS teams playing 11 or more such games are ACC members. The non-conference schedule also includes 12 games against teams ranked in ESPN's 2026 way-too-early Top 25, and 12 more against teams that finished in the final 2025 College Football Playoff rankings or AP Top 25. Twenty-nine of the ACC's non-conference games, involving 23 different teams, are against 2025 bowl participants.
The conference will again headline Labor Day weekend with its "Five Days of ACC Football" slate, featuring 14 teams in 12 games from Thursday, Sept. 3, through Monday, Sept. 7. SMU's game at Florida State on Labor Day marks the ACC's 17th consecutive year of Labor Day football, excluding 2020, and its 20th since 2005. The league also leads all conferences with five Power Four non-conference games in Week 1.
The ACC will play a record 15 games on Fridays in 2026, including nine over the season's first six weeks and four in Week 2 alone. The league will have at least one Friday night game in each of Weeks 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13, and Thanksgiving week will close with Florida at Florida State on Black Friday.
The conference has produced 11 or more bowl-eligible teams in each of the past three seasons, the longest active streak in the country. Last season, seven ACC teams won nine or more games, a single-season record for the conference, while nine teams won at least eight games, tying the FBS high and setting another ACC record. In 2024, four ACC teams finished with 10 or more wins for the first time in league history.
The 2026 ACC Football Championship Game will mark the 14th straight year and 18th time overall that the title game has aired on ABC; the game has been broadcast on ABC or ESPN every year since the championship began in 2005. It remains the only Power Four conference title game played at noon.
