RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State running back Hollywood Smothers, tight end Justin Joly, and linebacker Caden Fordham were all first-team selections by the AP.
This marks the second time the trio has received First-Team honors, as they also received All-ACC First Team honors.
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-AP honors since Nyheim Hines in 2017.
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 are the fourth-best in the Power 4. He finished the year with 47 catches for 468 yards, despite missing a game with an injury.
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.
He is the first Wolfpack linebacker since Payton Wilson to be named to the Associated Press All-ACC First-Team.
