TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Redshirt freshman defensive end Patrick Payton is the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, it was announced Wednesday afternoon. Payton is the third Seminole to win the award and first since 2012.
Payton, from Miami, finished with 29 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks over 12 games. He added three pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and forced a fumble in the Noles 45-3 victory at Miami. Payton’s 4.0 sacks were the most in the conference among freshmen, and his 5.0 TFL were second behind teammate Joshua Farmer’s 6.0 among ACC freshmen.
Payton set a career high with six tackles at NC State, including three tackles and a pass breakup on one series. All 4.0 of Payton’s sacks were in conference play – 1.0 each against Boston College, Wake Forest, Miami and Syracuse – and his 38 sack yards lost were the sixth-most against ACC opponents.
Payton also added a tackle for loss against Georgia Tech. His forced fumble at Miami was the first of his career and one of five for Florida State on the season.
Payton is the third Seminole to be named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year since the award was introduced for the 2007 season. Defensive backs Xavier Rhodes in 2010 and Ronald Darby in 2012 previously earned the recognition, and FSU’s three winners are tied with Clemson for the most in the league.
The ACC is announcing award winners throughout the week. On Monday, Dillan Gibbons earned the Jim Tatum Award as the ACC’s top senior student-athlete. On Tuesday, 15 Seminoles earned All-ACC honors, including Jammie Robinson, Jared Verse and Gibbons on the first team. The Coach of the Year will be presented Thursday.
