Athlon Sports released its preseason All-ACC teams this week ahead of its annual preseason college football preview magazine release on May 25.

NC State was well represented with nine players earning preseason All-ACC honors. The Wolfpack tied for the third-most selections in the conference, just behind Clemson (15) and North Carolina (13).

The Pack also had six first-team selections, the second-most in the conference.

Here were the 2021 NC State football players that earned preseason All-ACC honors by Athlon:

RB — Sophomore running back Zonovan "Bam" Knight

OL — Sophomore left tackle Ikem "Ickey" Ekwonu

LB — Redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson

LB — Redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore

KR — Sophomore running back Zonovan "Bam" Knight

PR — Redshirt junior receiver Thayer Thomas

The Wolfpack was second only to preseason ACC favorites, Clemson, in number of first-team selections.

Knight was the only player in the conference to earn preseason first-team honors for two different positions, in his case: running back and kick returner.

Despite earning the second-most carries on the team in 2020, Knight was the Pack's leading rusher with 788 yards (5.5 yards per rush) and 10 touchdowns. He also returned 14 kickoffs for 373 yards, including a 100-yard touchdown return in the Miami game.

Knight led NC State with 1,297 all-purpose yards last fall, 423 more than any other player on the roster. He is the top returning rusher in the ACC this season.

Ekwonu and Wilson were both unsurprising selections.

The Athletic called Ekwonu "the most feared lineman in the ACC" this summer. He was also named the 10th-best returning offensive tackle in college football this season by Pro Football Focus (PFF). According to PFF, Ekwonu earned the second-highest run-blocking grade in the conference last season, second only to Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw, who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Wilson's 108 tackles in 2020 led the ACC, and he became the first NC State player to do so since 2000. He also produced a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 6.0 quarterback hurries, 2.0 interceptions and 1.0 pass breakup. He was a consensus first-team All-ACC linebacker last fall.

Moore was second on the team with 94 tackles. He also brought down 11.0 tackles for loss and produced 3.0 sacks, 4.0 quarterback hurries, 2.0 pass breakups and 1.0 fumble recovery. Moore will return as a team captain from 2020.

Thomas was the Pack's primary punt returner and second-leading receiver last fall. He returned 10 punts for 100 yards, averaging 10.0 yards per return. As a receiver, he caught 42 balls for 529 yards and six touchdowns. A trick-play weapon with a more-than-capable arm, Thomas also completed a 31-yard touchdown pass, the third of his career.

WR — Senior receiver Emeka Emezie

C — Redshirt junior center Grant Gibson

Emezie has been the Pack's leading receiver the past two seasons. The 6-3, 212-pounder reeled in 12 receptions for 738 yards and five touchdowns in 2020. He produced 84 or more rushing yards in five of his 12 appearances last season.

Gibson is also a returning team captain and was an every-game starter on the Wolfpack offensive line. He was the highest-graded pass protector on the team according to PFF and was named the third-best returning interior offensive lineman in college football.

K — Junior placekicker Christopher Dunn

P — Redshirt junior punter Trenton Gill

The Pack's specialists each made an appearance on Athlon Sports' preseason All-ACC list.

Dunn is already the program's all-time leader with 56 field goal makes. In three seasons of collegiate football, he's a perfect 122-of-122 on PAT attempts. He set a career-high with two 53-yard field goal makes in 2020, marking the longest made attempt by a Wolfpack kicker since 2012.

Gill is also in the NC State record books, and he currently has the best punt average in school history with a mark of 46.3 yards per attempt. He tied for third in the ACC last season with a punt average of 44.9 yards per attempt, which was also the fifth-best mark in program history.

RB — Junior running back Ricky Person Jr.

Person led the Pack in carries last season and produced 643 yards (4.4 yards per rush) and four touchdowns. He also caught 18 balls for 136 yards as a pass-catching back. After missing multiple games in his first two collegiate seasons due to injuries, Person started in all 12 of the Wolfpack's contests last fall.

Clemson — 15

North Carolina — 13

NC State — 11

Virginia Tech — 11

Miami — 10

Wake Forest — 10

Boston College — 9

Virginia —7

Syracuse — 7

Pittsburgh —6

Louisville — 4

Florida State — 4

Georgia Tech — 3

Duke — 2

——

• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker

• Like us on Facebook