Mitch Hyatt repeats as Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner |
| - Sunday, November 25, 2018, 3:12 PM |
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Clemson senior offensive tackle
Mitch Hyatt has been voted the winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for the second consecutive year, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Sunday.
The Jacobs Blocking Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953 to the player selected the most outstanding blocker in the ACC by a poll of the league’s head coaches and defensive coordinators. Hyatt becomes 13th repeat recipient of the award in league history and the first Clemson player to be recognized multiple times. This marks the ninth time in league history that a Tiger has claimed the trophy. The trophy is given in memory of William P. Jacobs, who served as president of Presbyterian College from 1935 to 1945. Hyatt will be recognized next weekend during activities surrounding the 2018 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game, which is set for next Saturday evening at 8 p.m. at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Hyatt and his Clemson teammates will face Pitt for the conference crown. Hyatt, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound native of Suwanee, Georgia, is a four-year starter for the Tigers and has played more snaps from scrimmage than any player in program history. A third-team All-ACC selection as a freshman three years ago and a first-team honoree each of the previous two seasons, Hyatt won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy this year for his role in a Clemson offense leads the ACC and ranks among the nation’s top 10 in scoring (45.7 ppg) and total yards per game (539.1). “I’m really proud of Mitch and really happy for him” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “First of all, he came here with a lot of goals in mind. He came here to make Clemson better, and he’s done that. He’s leaving here being a part of four ACC Championship Games. He’s a three-time champion, hopefully a four-time champion.” Hyatt tackle has earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors three times this season. In addition to Hyatt, previous Jacobs Blocking Trophy winners from Clemson have included fullback Doug Cline (1959), tackle Wayne Mass (1966), guard Harry Olszewski (1967), guard Joe Bostic (1977), tackle Lee Nanney (1981) and guard James Farr (1983) and guard John Phillips (1987). “Last year (Hyatt) was the first Jacobs Trophy winner at Clemson in a long, long time, and now, he’s the first player in school history to win it in back-to-back years,” Swinney noted. “I’m just really proud of him, and again, he’s so deserving. He is the model of consistency, and I know that his peers in this league, the other coaches in this league, recognize him as such. This award exemplifies that.” Winners of the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy 1953 Bill Wohrman, FB, South Carolina 1954 Bill Wohrman, FB, South Carolina 1955 Bob Pellegrini, C, Maryland 1956 Hal McElhaney, FB, Duke 1957 Hal McElhaney, FB, Duke 1958 John Saunders, FB, South Carolina 1959 Doug Cline, FB, Clemson 1960 Dwight Bumgarner, T, Duke 1961 Art Gregory, T, Duke Jim LeCompte, G, North Carolina 1962 Art Gregory, T, Duke 1963 Chuck Walker,T, Duke 1964 Eddie Kesler, FB, North Carolina 1965 John McNabb, G, Duke 1966 Wayne Mass, T, Clemson 1967 Harry Olszewski, G, Clemson 1968 Greg Shelly, T, Virginia 1969 Ralph Sonntag, T, Maryland 1970 Dan Ryczek, C, Virginia 1971 Geoff Hamlin, FB, North Carolina 1972 Ron Rusnak, G, North Carolina 1973 Bill Yoest, G, NC State 1974 Ken Huff, G, North Carolina 1975 Billy Bryan, C, Duke 1976 Billy Bryan, C, Duke 1977 Joe Bostic, G, Clemson 1978 Jim Ritcher, C, NC State 1979 Jim Ritcher, C, NC State 1980 Ron Wooten, G, North Carolina 1981 Lee Nanney, T, Clemson 1982 Dave Pacella, T, Maryland 1983 James Farr, G, Clemson 1984 Jim Dombrowski, T, Virginia 1985 Jim Dombrowski, T, Virginia 1986 Paul Kiser, G, Wake Forest 1987 John Phillips, G, Clemson 1988 Jeff Garnica, C, North Carolina 1989 Chris Port, T, Duke 1990 Ray Roberts, T, Virginia 1991 Ray Roberts, T, Virginia 1992 Ben Coleman, T, Wake Forest 1993 Mark Dixon, G, Virginia 1994 Clay Shiver, C, Florida State 1995 Clay Shiver, C, Florida State 1996 no recipient 1997 Tra Thomas, T, Florida State 1998 Craig Page, C, Georgia Tech 1999 John St. Clair, C, Virginia 2000 Tarlos Thomas, T, Florida State 2001 Brett Williams, T, Florida State 2002 Brett Williams, T, Florida State 2003 Elton Brown, G, Virginia 2004 Elton Brown, G, Virginia 2005 Eric Winston, T, Miami 2006 Josh Beekman, G-C, Boston College 2007 Steve Justice, C, Wake Forest 2008 Eugene Monroe, T, Virginia 2009 Rodney Hudson, G, Florida State 2010 Rodney Hudson, G, Florida State 2011 Blake DeChristopher, T, Virginia Tech 2012 Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina 2013 Cameron Erving, T, Florida State 2014 Cameron Erving, T-C, Florida State 2015 Roderick Johnson, T, Florida State 2016 Roderick Johnson, T, Florida State 2017 Mitch Hyatt, T, Clemson 2018 Mitch Hyatt, T, Clemson
