Four Florida State football players were named to the preseason All-ACC team Thursday after a vote of attending media at last week’s ACC Kickoff. Earlier this week, FSU was projected to successfully defend its ACC Championship as preseason ACC champions.
Offensive tackle Darius Washington and center Maurice Smith were two of the top three vote-getters on the offensive line, with Washington leading the pack with 93 votes and Smith earning 62 votes. Defensive tackle Joshua Farmer earned the most votes on the defensive line with 75. Alex Mastromanno was the preseason All-ACC punter with 81 votes.
Washington, from Pensacola, has started 37 of the 47 games he has appeared in over the past five seasons, starting at center, left tackle and right tackle. He was a first-team All-ACC offensive lineman last season and was the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week in FSU’s 39-17 win over Virginia Tech when running back Trey Benson ran for 200 yards on just 11 carries, setting the FSU record with 18.2 yards per carry.
Behind Washington, Florida State led the ACC in scoring offense, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, yards per completion, and the fewest interceptions thrown and the fewest turnovers. Quarterback Jordan Travis was the ACC Player of the Year and led the ACC in passing efficiency, yards per pass attempt and fewest interceptions.
Smith has started in 41 of his 45 appearances during his career. The senior from Miami is a two-time All-ACC selection and last year was also on the All-ACC Academic Team. He started all 12 games he played in 2023, helping Florida State to its 16th ACC title behind a 13-0 regular season. Smith blocked for an FSU offense that led the conference in scoring offense, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, yards per completion, fewest interceptions thrown and fewest turnovers while protecting Travis, the ACC’s Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. Travis, who finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, led the ACC in passing efficiency, yards per attempt and fewest interceptions while also breaking Florida State career records for total offense and touchdown responsibility.
Farmer, from Port St. Joe, recorded 32 tackles, including 7.0 for loss, with 5.0 sacks, two quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble over 13 starts in 2023. The redshirt junior earned second-team All-ACC recognition and was named FSU’s Most Improved Defensive Player last season.
Farmer recorded a career-high five tackles at Clemson, with 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks in FSU’s 31-24 overtime victory. He added five tackles in the regular season finale at Florida, a 24-15 FSU win. As a redshirt freshman in 2022, Farmer had 15 tackles and 2.0 sacks while leading all ACC freshmen with 6.0 tackles for loss.
Mastromanno, from Melbourne, Australia, was a second-team All-American in 2023, averaging 45.5 yards over 66 punts. The second-team ACC selection became Florida State’s first finalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented to the nation’s best punter, last season.
Behind Mastromanno, Florida State ranked third nationally in net punting average, with 26 punts inside the 20-yard line and just three touchbacks. Mastromanno’s season-long punt of 59 yards came at Clemson and Pitt, two of his 19 punts traveling at least 50 yards. His four punts of over 50 yards against Clemson and Miami were also career highs.
Washington and Farmer are on the Outland Trophy watch list, presented to the nation’s top interior lineman. Farmer is also on the Nagurski Trophy list as the nation’s top defensive player, while Smith was recognized on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list for his community service efforts. The Ray Guy Award for the nation’s top punter will be released Friday.
Florida State, the defending ACC Champions, will open the season Aug. 24 at noon ET in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic against Georgia Tech on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Darius Washington among the four FSU players to make All-ACC team
Tallahassee Democrat
