CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Three members of the 2025 Wolfpack squad have been named first-team All-ACC performers, the league office announced today. Linebacker Caden Fordham, tight end Justin Joly and running back Hollywood Smothers earned first-team honors, while offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak and punter Caden Noonkester were honorable mentions.
Fordham, a graduate student from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., garnered more points than any other defensive honoree with 188. Coming off a serious knee injury, Fordham started every game for the 7-5 Wolfpack, playing both linebacker spots. He led the league in tackles with 10.8 per game (130 total) - the top mark for any Power 4 player in 2025.
A senior from Brewster, N.Y., Joly tied the NC State record for single-season touchdowns by a tight end with seven. That mark is tied as the best in the P4 for a tight end, while his total receptions is the fourth-best in the Power 4. He finished the year with 47 catches for 468 yards, despite missing a game with an injury.
Smothers, a redshirt sophomore from Charlotte, is the first Wolfpack running back since 1997 to lead the ACC in rushing yards per game with 85.4 yards per game and garnered the second-highest point total on the all-conference offensive team. Although hampered later in the season with an injury, Smothers rushed for 100+ yards in four contests this season, scoring seven total touchdowns. He also gained receiving yards for the season.
Smothers is the first Wolfpack running back to earn first-team All-ACC honors since Nyheim Hines in 2017.
Offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak and punter Caden Noonkester earned honorable mention all-league honors for their season performances.
The starting left tackle in all 12 games, Peak tallied a team-high 50 pancake blocks, 18 knockdowns and 23 Raleigh Railroads - a sustained block downfield. He was the Wolfpack's top grader on the offensive line in four different games, earning a 100% in the regular season finale vs. UNC.
Noonkester finished the season with a 43.6 yard punting average, placing a league-leading 21 kicks inside the opponents 20 yard line.
