ACC Players of the Week: Week 11

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Joe Cockerill | Last updated Nov 11, 2025 9:06 AM ET

With a week 11 full of wild upsets, many players had standout performances to shift the power in the ACC. My two ACC players of the week are Cal WR Jacob De Jesus and Miami DB Jakobe Thomas. That being said, it was extremely hard to pick two players that stood out the most and many others including Miami QB Carson Beck, SMU WR Yamir Knight and Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutete performed well.

Jacob De Jesus

Going on the road to No. 15 Louisville (7-2, 4-2), Cal (6-4, 3-3) had an important ACC matchup against the Cardinals. Cal brought the fire to the Cardinals as double-digit underdogs and took them down in OT with a score of 29-26. This win for Cal was significant as the Cardinals were one of the top teams on the ACC leaderboard prior to this game.

De Jesus had an incredible game with 16 catches for 158 yards and one touchdown. De Jesus was able to consistently get the ball and get first downs for the Golden Bears. With his high volume he was able to overwhelm the Louisville defense and pull off the important upset to shake up the ACC leaderboard. De Jesus’ contribution to the team has brought Cal up as they were 6-7 in 2024 and are now 6-4 in 2025.

Jakobe Thomas

No. 18 Miami (7-2, 3-2) faced Syracuse (3-7, 1-6) at home and after a slow first half they scored 14 points in 23 seconds to end the second quarter and finished the game with a score of 38-10. If Miami can shake off their losses and dominate for the rest of the season they have a chance to go on to the College Football Playoff.

Thomas was all around the field in this game doing everything he could to help this team win. He picked up five tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and an interception against the Orange. His versatility around the field made him stick out and he will continue to be a weapon for the Hurricanes.

Final Thoughts

The performances by both Thomas and De Jesus played a big role in the flow of the ACC pushing Miami toward the playoff and making Louisville fall. As we continue into the final weeks of the regular season we might see more and more upsets so don’t be surprised to see more underdogs pick up some wins in week 12.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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