Week 10 in the ACC belonged to the quarterbacks, the ground game and a 100 yard return of a missed field goal. The conference named its Players of the Week on Monday, November 9, 2026, led by SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings and Duke running back Nate Sheppard, whose 217 yard, three touchdown day at NC State rewrote pieces of the Duke record book.

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its Football Players of the Week following standout performances in Week 10. The honorees were selected by a vote of a select media panel.

QUARTERBACK – Kevin Jennings, 5th, QB, SMU (Oak Cliff, Texas)

• Was 24-for-32 passing for 350 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Virginia Tech.
• Marked his third game this season with multiple passing touchdowns.
• Recorded his 13th career game with three or more passing touchdowns.
• Also added 17 rushing yards.
• Helped SMU improve to 6-0 at home this season.

RUNNING BACK – Nate Sheppard, So., RB, Duke (Mandeville, Louisiana)

• Rushed 18 times for 217 yards, an average of 12.1 yards per carry, and scored three touchdowns in helping Duke to a 41-3 victory at NC State.
• Finished with 221 all-purpose yards against the Wolfpack while NC State produced 217 yards of total offense for the game.
• Totaled 98 rushing yards in the first quarter, the third-most by a Blue Devil in an opening stanza in program history.
• His 98 yards were the fifth-most in any quarter and most since Mateo Durant ran for 130 yards in the fourth quarter against Charlotte in 2021.
• Finished the first half with 168 ground yards, the second-most in a half by a Blue Devil.
• His rushing performance marked his fifth 100-yard game of the season, tied for the sixth-most in a year by a Blue Devil in program history.
• He is up to 1,189 rushing yards this fall, the third most in a year in program history. He joined Randy Cuthbert in 1989 and 1992 as the only Blue Devils with two 1,000-yard seasons. He is the first to do so in consecutive seasons.
• Recorded his second 200-yard game this season and the 11th in program history.
• Became the first Blue Devil to record multiple 200-yard games in the same season. He joins Steve Jones as the only Blue Devils with two, 200-yard games in a career.
• Joined Aiden Flora (Iowa State) and Jamal Roberts (Missouri) as the only Power Four players with more than one 200-yard game in 2026.
• Scored on a 69-yard touchdown run during the opening drive, the longest rushing touchdown of his career.
• The touchdown was his 15th this season, setting the Duke single-season record.
• The sophomore added two more touchdowns on the ground, finishing the contest with three rushing scores and 17 on the season.
• Picked up his fourth ACC Running Back of the Week honor.

OFFENSIVE RECEIVER – Yamir Knight, Sr., WR, SMU (Smyrna, Delaware)

• Hauled in six catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns in the 51-28 win over Virginia Tech.
• Set a career high with three receiving touchdowns with scores from 46, 13 and 5 yards out.
• Marked his second career multi-touchdown game.
• Recorded his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and the fifth of his career.
• Also rushed two times for 11 yards.
• The Mustangs had a season-high 569 total yards in the conference win.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Xavier Chaplin, 5th, LT, Florida State (Beaufort, South Carolina)

• Graded out at 93% with a 97% effort grade in Florida State’s 31-24 win at Boston College.
• Recorded five knockdown blocks, eight blocks that led to a first down or touchdown and had the game-winning block to secure a first down on the final possession.
• Accounted for two explosive play blocks with zero missed assignments and allowed no quarterback pressures or sacks for the game.
• Part of the offensive line unit that did not allow a sack for the first time this season.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Marques White, 8th, DE, SMU (Glendale, Arizona)

• Recorded three tackles, 2.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles-for-loss in the Mustangs’ 51-28 win over Virginia Tech.
• Also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble with a strip sack.
• Marked his second forced fumble and second fumble recovery of the season.
• Accounted for two of SMU’s four sacks, whose 151 sacks since the start of the 2023 season are the most by an FBS team in that span.
• Earned his second ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honor this season.

LINEBACKER – Timir Hickman-Collins, Jr., LB, North Carolina (Fort Mill, South Carolina)

• Returned an interception for a touchdown to help North Carolina to a 38-21 road win at UConn.
• Reeled in the deflected pass and raced 62 yards down the sideline for his first career touchdown.
• Became the first North Carolina player to return an interception for a touchdown since Power Echols in November 2024.
• His play opened the scoring in the contest and provided a spark for the Tar Heels.
• Picked up his second turnover in the game in the second quarter when he ripped the football out of the quarterback’s hand for a forced fumble and recovery.
• Became the first Tar Heel to recover a fumble and intercept a pass in the same game since Cedric Gray versus Miami in 2023.
• Graded out at 93.7 in the game, according to Pro Football Focus, including a 90.3 coverage grade.

DEFENSIVE BACK – Ashton Hampton, Jr., CB, Clemson (Tallahassee, Florida)

• Tied for the team lead with eight tackles, while adding two pass breakups and an interception in Clemson’s win at Syracuse.
• Was pivotal in limiting star Syracuse wide receiver Umari Hatcher to season lows of two catches for 12 yards. Hatcher entered the game fourth in the nation in receiving yards per game (119.0).
• Recorded his second interception of the season in the fourth quarter, a critical red-zone stop in the end zone late in Clemson’s five-point win.
• Registered his fourth game with multiple pass breakups this season. He is the only ACC player and one of five nationally with four or more games with multiple pass breakups in 2026.

SPECIALIST – Andrew Pellicciotta, So., S/RS, Duke (Malvern, Pennsylvania)

• Returned a missed field goal attempt 100 yards for a touchdown as the first half expired, helping Duke to a 41-3 victory at NC State.
• His return pushed Duke’s lead from 24-3 to 31-3 at intermission as Duke scored the final 17 points of the second quarter over the final 3:30 of game clock.
• The score was Duke’s first return for a touchdown of a missed field goal attempt since Ross Cockrell’s 75-yard return versus FIU on September 1, 2012, and just the third in Blue Devil history off a missed field goal attempt.
• Also had a fumble scoop-and-score this season versus North Carolina on October 17 and is the first Blue Devil to have a special-teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the same season since DeVon Edwards during the 2013 campaign.

ROOKIE – Amari Thomas, Fr., RB, Florida State (Marianna, Florida)

• Set career highs with 19 carries, 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the road win at Boston College.
• Also recorded a career-long 20-yard run in the game.
• Scored the go-ahead 11-yard touchdown with 2:29 remaining, helping FSU win on the road for the first time since 2023.
• Did not record a rushing attempt for a loss in the game.

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