Darrion Williams Named ACC Preseason Player Of The Year, Pack Picked Fourth

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference unveiled its preseason honors on Tuesday, with NC State’s Darrion Williams earning Preseason Player of the Year recognition, while the Pack secured a fourth-place ranking in the media’s preseason poll.

Williams is NC State’s first ACC Preseason Player of the Year selection since C.J. Leslie prior to the 2012-13 season.

Williams comes to the Pack after spending the last two seasons at Texas Tech. Last year with the Red Raiders, he averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team. He upped his scoring to 21 points per game in Texas Tech’s four NCAA Tournament games, scoring 23 points in the Elite Eight against eventual National Champion Florida and a season-high 28 points in the win over Drake in the second round.

NC State’s slot of fourth in the preseason poll is the highest for the Pack since 2012-13 when NC State was the preseason favorite in the conference.

Duke was voted as the preseason favorite, with Louisville and North Carolina rounding out the top three.

Williams was joined on the Preseason All-ACC First Team by Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Notre Dame’s Markus Burton and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., and Ryan Conwell.

Williams is NC State’s first All-ACC Preseason First Team selection since Terquavion Smith was named to the first team prior to the 2022-23 season. 

NC State fans can get their first look at the Pack when it plays its lone exhibition game of the season on Sunday, Oct. 26 in Greensboro’s First Horizon Coliseum against South Carolina. Tipoff against the Gamecocks is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

2025 ACC Preseason Poll

School, Points

1. Duke (34), 866

2. Louisville (15), 842

3. North Carolina, 741

4. NC State, 710

5. Virginia, 623

6. SMU, 616

7. Clemson, 510

8. Miami, 500

9. Syracuse, 489

10. Notre Dame, 477

11. Wake Forest, 412

12. Virginia Tech, 355

13. Georgia Tech, 315

14. Pitt, 301

15. Florida State, 221

16. California, 156

17. Stanford, 138

18. Boston College, 107

 First-place votes in parentheses; 49 total voters

2025-26 Preseason All-ACC Team

First Team

Name, School, Votes

Cameron Boozer, Duke, 46

Darrion Williams, NC State, 45

Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 46

Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 36

Ryan Conwell, Louisville, 36

Second Team

Boopie Miller, SMU, 27

J.J. Starling, Syracuse, 27

Isaiah Evans, Duke, 24

Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 24

Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 24

ACC Preseason Player of the Year

Darrion Williams, NC State, 23 votes

Cameron Boozer, Duke, 19

J.J. Starling, Syracuse, 2

Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 2

Donald Hand Jr., Boston College, 1

Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 1

Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 1

ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year

Cameron Boozer, Duke, 43 votes

Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 3

Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 2

Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia Tech, 1