Six Eagles Named to Athlon’s All-ACC Team

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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Athlon Magazine has named six Boston College football players to its 2019 All-ACC preseason teams. AJ Dillon, Ben Petrula, Tanner Karafa, Max Richardson, Kobay White, and Isaiah McDuffie were named to Athlon’s various All-ACC squads.

Dillon was also named a Preseason All-America (third team) selection by Athlon. The junior running back enters 2019 as the first BC player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. A semifinalist for the Maxwell Award in 2018, Dillon is just the fourth player in school history with two seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing.

Six Eagles- AJ Dillon

Petrula was named to Athlon’s All-ACC second-team after collecting All-ACC honorable mention honors in 2018. The New Jersey native has been a mainstay on the BC offensive line since his true freshman season, starting 24 consecutive games. Petrula, who played right tackle in 2018 and center in 2017, slid over to left tackle for the Eagles during spring practice.

Karafa was named to Athlon’s All-ACC preseason third-team. He burst onto the scene as a junior in 2018, starting all 12 games at defensive tackle for the Eagles. It marked the first time in his career he was a starter, and the Virginia native finished the year with 47 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, and one fumble recovery. Karafa is expected to be one of the anchors for BC defensively in 2019.

An Athlon All-ACC preseason third-team selection, Richardson enjoyed a productive 2018 campaign as one of the leading playmakers on defense for BC. Richardson finished last year with 76 tackles (third on the team) to go along with nine TFLs and 2.5 sacks. The redshirt junior has appeared in 27 career games, including 16 starts.

On Athlon’s All-ACC preseason fourth-team included redshirt junior wide receiver Kobay White and junior linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.

White was BC’s leading receiver in 2018 with 33 receptions for 526 yards and three touchdowns. The Harrisburg, Pa., native has played in 25 career games with 15 starts at wide receiver for the Eagles. White enters his junior season with 67 career receptions for 949 yards and five touchdowns – BC’s active career leader in all three categories.

McDuffie was another player who jumped off the page production wise in his first year as a starter in 2018. The New York product was second on the team with 85 tackles in 12 games, including six starts. He finished the year with 5.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and finished with three games of 10 or more tackles among his six starts as a sophomore.

BC opens the 2019 season at Alumni Stadium on Saturday, August 31 versus Virginia Tech. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. with live television coverage on ACC Network.

Season tickets are now available for the 2019 season by visiting BCEagles.com or calling 617-552-4622 (GOBC).

Athlon Magazine Preseason All-ACC Selections

RB AJ Dillon*, First-Team Offense

OL Ben Petrula, Second-Team Offense

DL Tanner Karafa, Third-Team Defense

LB Max Richardson, Third-Team Defense

WR Kobay White, Fourth-Team Offense

LB Isaiah McDuffie, Fourth-Team Defense

*Preseason All-American (third team)