FIVE TO KNOW
Melkart Abou Jaoude and 4 more ACC defensive players to watch
North Carolina defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude (9) made the All-ACC second team last season.
Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown (47) made the All-ACC first team last season.
Miami defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. (99) made the All-ACC second team last season.
ACC FOOTBALL
You know about the standouts on the Virginia Tech and Virginia football teams, but there are other stars around the ACC who will also be worth paying attention to this season.
So here is a look at five ACC defensive players to watch (listed in alphabetical order).
MELKART ABOU JAOUDE, NORTH CAROLINA, DE
2025: All-ACC second team; had 10 1/2 sacks to move into a tie for sixth place on the UNC single-season list; had 47 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five QB hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery; led ACC defensive linemen with 646 snaps.
ABOU JAOUDE ON DEVELOPING CONSISTENCY:"Ever since I was at Delaware (from 2022-24), I had a routine where I wake up at a certain time, go to class, lift, stretch. I do it every day and I don't let anything deter me from that. Stacking those days on top of each other has really given me the confidence I need. …
The confidence that I did more than the person across from me and that I did it every day, that gives me peace of mind going into the game that I gave it all I got."
SAMMY BROWN, CLEMSON, LB
2025: All-ACC first team; second-team Academic All-American; had 106 tackles, 13 1/2 tackles for loss, five sacks, seven pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery; became first Tiger in three years to record an interception and a sack in the same game (happened against Furman); was named Clemson's athlete of the year for the 2025-26 school year in recognition of his excellence on the field and in the classroom.
BROWN ON HOW HE BECAME A GOOD LINEBACKER:"I don't want to look at where they rank me, what they're saying about me. I really just want to put my head down and go to work. The other thing I would say is just taking it one step at a time (helps). I'm not going to step (on the field) as a freshman on the Clemson football team and be the best linebacker that's ever played. So I think (it's a matter of) focusing on the things that I need to get better at, learning from what I did wrong in the past, looking at what I did right and taking those things and applying them to the next season, the next game, the next practice."
AHMAD MOTEN SR., MIAMI, DT
2025: All-ACC second team; had 31 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 4 1/2 sacks and four QB hurries.
MIAMI LB MOHAMED TOURE ON MOTEN:"He is the best D-lineman in the country — (with) the way he attacks the game, his play style. He's aggressive, he's fast, he's physical and he's not scared to get his hands dirty."
MATT ROSE, STANFORD, LB
2025: All-ACC second team; had 106 tackles — the most in a season by a Stanford player since 2015; had eight tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery; only player in the country to have at least 14 tackles, at least one sack and at least one fumble recovery in the same regular-season game (happened against California).
STANFORD SAFETY JAY GREEN ON ROSE:"He's one of the best backers in the country. He brings a lot to the table as far as athleticism, his knack for the ball. … He has good hands. … (He was) a 100-tackle guy last year and I think he'll do it again this year and show he's the best in the country."
DAMON WILSON II, MIAMI, DE
2025: All-Southeastern Conference second team (at Missouri); had 23 tackles, 9 1/2 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
TOURE ON WILSON:"He's a dog. Dog, dog, dog — (with) his motor, the way he attacks the game, the way he pass rushes, the way he stops the run. He's a dog."
Mark Berman (540) 981-3125 mark.berman@roanoke.com
