LOUISVILLE, KY: Phil Steele named Louisville defensive end Ashton Gillotte and running back Jawhar Jordan All-Americans, the publication announced on Thursday.
Jordan received honourable mention, and Gillotte was named to the Third Team. For Jordan, this is his first All-American of the year; for Gillotte, it is his sixth. The Athletic, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Walter Camp, and CBS Sports all named him to their Second Teams of All-America, while USA Today gave him an honourable mention.
Gillotte was not only Louisville’s most valuable defender during the 2023 season, but he was also among the best defensive linemen in all of college football.
The 6-foot-3, 270-pound outstanding edge rusher started all 12 regular season games, including the ACC Championship Game against Florida State. He finished with 45.0 tackles total, 14.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, and three forced fumbles.
His tally of sacks topped the ACC, ranked seventh in the FBS, and places him ninth on Louisville’s all-time single-season sack list at the moment. He ranks fifth in the FBS with 40 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.
Jordan finished as one of the best running backs in the ACC despite being hindered by a bothersome hamstring ailment in the second half of the season. The 5-foot-9, 172-pound all-purpose back caught 21 receptions out of the backfield for 246 yards and a touchdown in addition to running for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns on 181 runs.
Omarion Hampton of UNC led the ACC in both rushing total and yards from scrimmage (Jordan), while Trey Benson of FSU and Hampton of UNC led the ACC in both rushing and total touchdowns. In addition, he became the first player since Javian Hawkins in 2019 to record a 1,000-yard rushing season in programme history.
Louisville’s 2023 campaign will come to an end later this month when they play USC in the Holiday Bowl. Gillotte will play and make a comeback in 2024, but Jordan has chosen not to participate in the bowl and has chosen to enter the NFL Draft.
