Football guru, preview extraordinaire and list-making champion Phil Steele announced his 2011 Midseason recognitions today. CB Chase Minnifield headlined the group of Cavaliers receiving accolades, earning third team All-American honors and first team All-ACC honors. Five other Hoos -- three on defense, two on offense -- join Minnifield in receiving conference accolades, each named to the third team All-ACC squad.
Joining Minnifield to the 2011 Phil Steele All ACC Teams are WR Kris Burd, OT Morgan Moses, DT Matt Conrath, DE Cam Johnson and K Robert Randolph (the Family Band received an honorable mention).
Virginia's six honorees places them ninth in the conference. Virginia Tech leads the pack with 13, followed by Clemson with 12 and, surprisingly, North Carolina with 11 selections. Despite being undefeated, Georgia Tech only has seven.
PHIL STEELE'S 2011 MIDSEASON ALL-ACC TEAM
(by number of selections)
| Virginia Tech | 13 |
| Clemson | 12 |
| North Carolina | 11 |
| Florida State | 9 |
| Georgia Tech | 7 |
| Miami | 7 |
| NC State | 7 |
| Wake Forest | 7 |
| VIRGINIA | 6 |
| Duke | 4 |
| Maryland | 4 |
| Boston College | 2 |
Here is the full list of the entire All-ACC team. Was anybody robbed? I know no one really argues about the kicker, but what about Robert Randolph (10-for-13), who is second in the conference in field goals (2.00 per game), behind Wake's Jimmy Newman, who wasn't selected at all? I guess by comparison, FSU's first-teamer Dustin Hopkins has been perfect this year, 8-for-8. Clemson's second-teamer Chandler Catanzaro has been pretty good too, 10-for-12. The difference is that FSU and Clemson both actually score touchdowns, together with extra points, Hopkins has had 43 points on the season and Catanzaro has 52. Wake's Newman is 11-for-12 and has 51 points, averaging 10.20 points per game. So I guess there's no actual argument here. And now I've completed my longest train of thought regarding kickers, ever.