NASHVILLE – Three Virginia Tech football student-athletes were recognized Thursday as Athlon Sports announced its 2018 All-ACC Football Teams. Senior DT Ricky Walker earned second-team honors, while WR Damon Hazelton and P Oscar Bradburn each were members of the third team.
ATHLON SECOND-TEAM ALL-ACC
DL Ricky Walker
Walker landed a spot on Athlon's second team after earning a position on the official ACC second team earlier this fall. Named the Defensive of Lineman of the Year in the Commonwealth of Virginia by the Touchdown Club of Richmond, the Hampton, Virginia native was also a finalist for the Bill Dudley Award as the top NCAA Division I player in the state.
His 10.5 tackles for loss lead the Hokies in 2018, while his 49 total tackles are the best mark among Tech's defensive linemen. A team captain and the Bell Cow of the Lunch Pail Defense, Walker was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after registering seven tackles, 2.0 TFL and a forced fumble in a 34-31 OT win against Virginia.
ATHLON THIRD-TEAM ALL-ACC
WR Damon Hazelton
A second-team All-ACC selection in the official league voting, Hazelton earned third-team honors from Athlon. The Baltimore native is tied for second in the ACC with eight TD catches, a figure that is also tied with WR Ricky Hall (eight in 1998) for the most-ever by a first-year Tech player. He leads all Hokies with 45 catches for 745 yards, while his 62.1 yards per game receiving average ranks seventh in the conference. The Ball State transfer has posted three 100-yard receiving games for Tech in 2018.
P Oscar Bradburn
Bradburn also earned All-ACC third-team honors in the official league voting. He ranks fourth in the ACC in gross punting average (42.2) and second in the conference with 23 punts inside the 20-yard line. The Sydney, Australia native has helped the Hokies allow only 184 punt return yards this season. Bradburn's 72-yard punt vs. Boston College ranks as the second-longest in the ACC this season.