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File photograph/The State/Rich Glickstein
No. 10 Cullen Harper warms up for the Chic-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome in this file photograph. Harper was named today the ACC preseason player of the year.
Posted on Thu, Jul. 24, 2008
Trio of Tigers tag top of list
Harper, Davis, Spiller headline preseason player of the year ballot
By PAUL STRELOW - pstrelow@thestate.com
Preseason All-ACC OFFENSE
QB: CULLEN HARPER, CLEMSON
RB: Josh Adams, Wake Forest
RB: JAMES DAVIS, CLEMSON
WR: AARON KELLY, CLEMSON
WR: Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina
TE: Ryan Purvis, Boston College
OT: Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech
OT: Eugene Monroe, Virginia
OG: Rodney Hudson, Florida State
OG: Sergio Render, Virginia Tech
C: Edwin Williams, Maryland
PRESEASON ALL-ACC DEFENSE
DE: Everette Brown, Florida State
DE: Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech
DT: Ron Brace, Boston College
DT: Vance Walker, Georgia Tech
LB: Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
LB: Clint Sintim, Virginia
LB: Brian Toal, Boston College
CB: Victor Harris, Virginia Tech
CB: Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest
S: MICHAEL HAMLIN, CLEMSON
S: Myron Rolle, Florida State
PRESEASON ALL-ACC SPECIALISTS
K: Sam Swank, Wake Forest
P: Graham Gano, Florida State
KR: Brandon Tate, North Carolina
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
| Player, pos., team | Votes |
| CULLEN HARPER, QB, CLEMSON | 34 |
| JAMES DAVIS, RB, CLEMSON | 16 |
| C.J. SPILLER, RB, CLEMSON | 4 |
| Josh Adams, rb, Wake Forest | 2 |
| Sean Glennon, qb, Virginia Tech | 2 |
| Riley Skinner, qb, Wake Forest | 2 |
| Drew Weatherford, qb, Florida State | 2 |
| Aaron Curry, lb, Wake Forest | 1 |
| Victor Harris, cb, Virginia Tech | 1 |
CLEMSON — Need proof for the lopsided expectations of Clemson’s offense compared to the rest of the ACC?
Look no further than the preseason player of the year voting.
The Tigers hit an unprecedented trifecta Wednesday, scoring the top three vote-getters for the honor.
As expected, senior quarterback Cullen Harper was tabbed Preseason ACC Player of the Year. He is the only returning player who nabbed a vote for last year’s postseason award.
Harper was followed by Clemson’s dynamic tailback duo of senior James Davis and junior C.J. Spiller.
The ACC could not find records of all its previous preseason votes, but “you would be safe to say no set of teammates finished 1-2-3 before this year,” associate commissioner Mike Finn said.
Harper collected 34 of 64 first-place votes cast by media members during last weekend’s ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro, Ga.
Davis came in a distant second with 16 votes, followed by Spiller’s four.
Four players were next with two votes apiece — Wake Forest running back Josh Adams, Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon and Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford.
“Last year, people were writing me off and didn’t think I was going to last three games,” Harper said this week. “To get where I am this year, it’s quite an honor.”
Having one of its players win the postseason player of the year award would be a milestone for Clemson, as it has not happened since defensive tackle Michael Dean Perry had 10 sacks in 1987.
It has been 29 years since the Tigers last had the top offensive player, dating to quarterback Steve Fuller’s consecutive award-winning seasons in 1977 and ‘78.
Clemson, FSU and Wake Forest each placed four members on the preseason All-ACC squad.
In addition to Harper and Davis, senior receiver Aaron Kelly and senior safety Michael Hamlin were voted on.
Earlier this week, the Tigers were picked by a wide margin to win the league for the first time since 1991.
Back to the beginning? Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said senior Rendrick Taylor could switch from running back to receiver when practices begin next month. Bowden said it is not a forgone conclusion Taylor will redshirt.