ACC’s Impact Players: Top 5 Sophomores

Every team in the ACC has talented players, valuable players, important players. But which players will make the biggest impact in the conference in 2005? We’ve already discussed the top five “impact” players in the senior & junior classes. Let’s continue with the sophomores.

Calvin Johnson

Georgia Tech wide receiver – 6-4, 225

Calvin Johnson is likely due for a sophomore slump. Why? As a freshman in 2004, he was the ACC Rookie of the Year, a First-Team Freshman All-American and a First-Team All-ACC performer. Johnson was just the second true freshman in Tech history (and the 11th in league history) to earn First-Team All-ACC honors. He was the Jackets’ leading receiver with 48 catches for 837 yards and seven touchdowns, all Tech freshman records. After a season like that, he has nowhere to go but down. Coming off a sensational freshman season, the presence of this spectacular sophomore along with improving quarterback Reggie Ball and one of the top runners in the league, P.J. Daniels, makes the Yellow Jacket offense a serious threat to opposing defenses. A remarkably talented wide receiver, Johnson has superior size, speed, and athletic ability, plus exceptional ball skills. Johnson is a preseason First-Team All-ACC selection in virtually every preview publication, and he is included on several All-American lists. Most rating services ranks the Georgia Tech sophomore as one of the top 10 receivers in the nation.

Eddie Royal

Virginia Tech wide receiver – 5-10, 174

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