Three members of the Duke football team were named to Academic All-America teams, according to an announcement by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. Redshirt junior defensive tackle A.J. Wolf was a first team honoree while redshirt junior safety DeVon Edwards and senior kicker Ross Martin were second team selections.
The CoSIDA Academic All-America honor is the first in each of their careers as the three Blue Devils were the only ACC representatives. The three selections also mark the most selections in a single season in program history, with the only multi-choice campaign coming in 1959. The Blue Devils have had a first team honoree the last three seasons with Wolf joining Perry Simmons (2013) and David Helton (2014) in the streak.
Wolf, a native of Greenwich, Conn., owns a 3.688 grade point average as a public policy studies major with a markets and management certificate. A three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection, Wolf is the ninth Duke player to earn first team Academic All-America honors. The ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week following Duke’s 34-20 win over No. 20 Georgia Tech, Wolf owns 49 tackles this season to go along with three quarterback pressures. At No. 21 North Carolina, he tallied 2.0 tackles for loss and owns 4.0 TFL this season as Duke ranks ninth nationally in TFL yardage (381).
Edwards earned Academic All-America accolades this year after being a 2014 Academic All-District III honoree. The Covington, Ga., product holds a 3.355 grade point average as a psychology major while pursuing a markets and management certificate. Edwards is a two-time All-America honoree (2013/Walter Camp Foundation & 2014/Sports Illustrated) and a two-time Academic All-ACC Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll selection. This season, Edwards has tallied 93 tackles and ranks second on the team in pass breakups (four) and quarterback pressures (four). Also a kickoff return specialist who earned first team All-ACC honors earlier this week, Edwards has returned an NCAA-best three kickoffs for touchdowns this year. His 30.14 kickoff return average is the sixth best in the country.
Martin, a 2015 National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy semifinalist, is a three-time Academic All-ACC Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll selection. The Solon, Ohio, native has a 3.573 grade point average as a psychology major while pursuing a markets and management certificate. He is a two-time All-America and four-time All-ACC selection. A Lou Groza Award semifinalist for the third time in his career, Martin has made a school single-season record 23 field goals this fall. Among the NCAA’s active kickers, Martin ranks first in field goals (75) and second in points (416) while standing second in ACC history in career points and third in field goals.
