Miami’s Cristobal, Mensah and Toney garner AP midseason ACC awards

As the college football season nears the midpoint, Miami stands alone as the class of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The third-ranked Hurricanes are the only undefeated team in the ACC and the only school ranked in the top 20 of The Associated Press poll as they look to build on last season’s run to the national title game.

The impressive start helped Miami clean up the midseason honors from the AP with coach Mario Cristobal, quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Malachi Toney all winning awards.

Here’s a look at the winners:

Top coach

Cristobal has turned his hometown Hurricanes into a national power since taking over before the 2022 season. After a slow build, Cristobal led Miami on a deep playoff run that ended with a title game loss to Indiana last season and now has the team 5-0 and in position to win its first ACC title ever and make another playoff run.

Cristobal has a chance to join championship-winning coaches Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson and Larry Coker with three straight double-digit win seasons.

Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert also got votes.

Top offensive player

Toney. After a dynamic freshman season, Toney has elevated his game even more this season. His season started with 234 yards receiving, three touchdowns and three Heisman poses in a win at Stanford and Toney is fourth in the nation with 120.8 yards receiving per game.

Mensah, SMU QB Kevin Jennings and Duke RB Nate Sheppard also got votes.

Top defensive player

North Carolina DL Xavier Lewis. Lewis had no power conference offers when coach Bill Belichick recruited him before last season and he has been one of the biggest bright spots in Belichick’s tenure with the Tar Heels. Lewis opened the season with three starlight games with two sacks. He leads the ACC with 6 1/2 sacks and is tied for second with 9 1/2 tackles for loss.

North Carolina LB Derek McDonald and Miami DL Marquise Lightfoot also were considered.

Top first-year freshman

Pittsburgh RB Damon Ferguson Jr. There hasn’t been a clear standout among the freshmen this season but Ferguson takes top honors. He has rushed for 319 yards and three TDs and also caught a touchdown pass.

Miami DB JJ Dunnigan and Miami RB Javian Mallory also got votes.

Top first-year transfer

Mensah. The latest transfer quarterback at Miami might be the most productive one yet. After Cam Ward and Carson Beck put together strong campaigns the past two years, Mensah is off to a remarkable start in his first season with the Hurricanes after transferring from Duke. He is completing 85.2% of his passes with 15 touchdowns, no interceptions and 10.8 yards per attempt. He had more TD passes than incomplete passes over his first four games.

Georgia Tech RB Justice Haynes also got votes.

Most surprising team

Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were picked 13th in the preseason poll but are off to a 5-1 start with the only loss being a 33-20 defeat to Miami on Sept. 18. Wake Forest is ranked 21st in the country for its first entry into the poll since 2022 as Dickert has done a great job in his first two seasons.

Pitt also got votes.

Most surprising player

Sheppard rushed for 1,132 yards as a freshman last season to help the Blue Devils win the ACC but has been even better this season. He leads the nation with 148.6 yards rushing per game with eight touchdown runs and three touchdown catches.

Mensah, Wake Forest QB Gio Lopez and Louisville QB Lincoln Kienholz also got votes.

Most disappointing team

Florida State. Nothing has gone right for the Seminoles since starting the 2023 season 13-0 and missing the playoff when quarterback Jordan Travis got hurt. This season is no different outside of a 38-7 win over Virginia on Oct. 3. Florida State has lost its other three games against power conference opponents and remains the only team in FBS with no road wins the past three seasons.

Louisville and Georgia Tech also got votes.

Hottest seat

Florida State coach Mike Norvell. The Seminoles have fallen far in recent years and have lost 21 of their last 28 games against FBS teams. Norvell got an eight-year contract worth more than $84 million after that 2023 season. The deal still has five years remaining after this season and a hefty buyout, but without some success in the second half of the season it might be tough to bring him back. Athletic director Michael Alford was already fired last month.

Boston College’s Bill O’Brien also got votes.

Biggest injury

Pitt QB Mason Heintschel. Heintschel helped the Panthers get off to a 5-0 start, throwing 14 touchdown passes with one interception before tearing his ACL in a win over Virginia Tech. Pitt lost last week to North Carolina and will have a tough time remaining a contender without Heintschel.

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AP Sports Writers Aaron Beard, Stephen Hawkins, Kyle Hightower and Charles Odum contributed to this report.

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