Lamar Jackson Named ACC Male Athlete of the Year

Mark BlankenbakerJuly 5, 2018

Lamar Jackson of the University of Louisville was named the 65th Anthony J. McKevlin Award as the Atlantic Coast Conference Male Athlete of the Year, as voted by a select media panel.

Notre Dame women’s basketball standout Arike Ogunbowale was tabbed the Female ACC Athlete of the Year.

The ACC athlete of the year awards are given in memory of distinguished journalists from the region. McKevlin was a sports editor of the Raleigh (North Carolina) News and Observer, while Garber, of the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal, was a pioneer as one of the first female sports journalists in the nation.

The 2016 Heisman Trophy put together an even better season in 2017, closing his career with an ACC-record 5,261 total yards with 45 touchdowns. He finished his career as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns, breaking the ACC career mark for a quarterback of 38 scores set during the 2009-12 seasons by Georgia Tech’s Tevin Washington.

The two-time Atlantic Coast Conference football Player of the Year, Jackson became the first player in FBS history to rush for at least 1,500 yards and pass for at least 3,500 yards in a single season – and he did so in consecutive years.

The Pompano Beach, Florida, native earned Heisman Trophy finalist status for the second consecutive season in 2017 as he rushed 1,601 yards and 18 touchdowns while throwing for 3,660 yards and 27 more TDs.

Jackson became the second player in FBS history and the first non-senior to rush for 4,000 yards and pass for 9,000 yards in his career. He became the sixth student-athlete to be named the ACC Football Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons and the first since Florida State’s Charlie Ward in 1992 and 1993.

Jackson became the first quarterback in ACC history to lead the conference in rushing, averaging 123.2 yards per game (1,601 yards on 232 attempts). He broke the ACC career mark for most rushing yards and most touchdowns rushing by a quarterback in just three seasons. Jackson finished his career with 4,132 career rushing yards, bettering the mark of 2,806 set by Georgia Tech’s Joshua Nesbit (2007-10).

The school’s third consensus All-American, Jackson averaged 346.7 yards in 38 career games, which stands as the best per-game average in total offense in ACC history. The 119 total touchdowns for which Jackson accounted rank second all-time in ACC history behind former Clemson standout and two-time McKevlin Award winner Deshaun Watson.

A first-round NFL Draft choice by the Baltimore Ravens, Jackson was named on 19 McKevlin Award ballots. He prevailed in a tight vote over Georgia Tech baseball catcher Joey Bart (18) and NC State football defensive end Bradley Chubb (17).