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ACC's top freshmen rookies no more

Sammy Watkins. Duke Johnson. Stefon Diggs.

It's been quite a run for true freshmen in the ACC, but the league's top freshmen are rookies no more.

The three most explosive freshmen in ACC history in terms of all-purpose yardage will be on the field again this fall, this time as leaders of their respective offenses. Clemson’s Watkins set the ACC single-season record for all-purpose yardage by a freshman in 2011, averaging 171.4 yards per game, accounting for 13 touchdowns and breaking a 30-year-old record previously set by Georgia Tech’s “Rambling” Robert Lavette in 1981. Watkins’ rookie mark was short-lived, though, as both Miami’s Duke Johnson (172.4) and Maryland’s Stefon Diggs (171.7) broke Watkins’ record in 2012. Johnson and Diggs each had two kickoff returns for scores, and ranked 8th and 9th nationally among all players in the FBS.

Take a look at where their rookie seasons ranked, and enjoy watching them try to continue to improve this fall: