ACC stars illuminate AP All-America team

He may not have taken home the Heisman, but Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson won a spot on the 2015 AP All-America team.

The sophomore QB was named an AP All-America first-teamer on Sunday, and was joined on the first team by North Carolina guard Landon Turner, Duke safety Jeremy Cash and Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson.

On the season, Watson, the ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the year, has thrown for 3,512 yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for 887 yards and 11 TDs.

Cash, a senior, was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and has tallied 101 tackles and 18 tackles for a loss, the most of any DB in the country.

Turner, a 6-4, 325-pound senior, has helped pave the way for an explosive UNC offense and guided the Tar Heels (11-2) to an ACC Coastal Division crown.

Lawson, a 6-3, 275-pound junior who has already declared for the NFL Draft, has been a force for No. 1 Clemson, racking up 79 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss.  

Florida State sophomore RB Dalvin Cook’s 1,658 rushing yards and 18 TDs was good enough to land him on the AP All-America second team, along with star safety/corner Jalen Ramsey.

North Carolina state senior guard Joe Thurney was named to the third team with Clemson sophomore CB MacKensie Alexander.