GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Wake Forest senior offensive tackle Zach Tom has been named the recipient of the 2021 Jim Tatum Award, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday.
The award is given annually in memory of the late Jim Tatum to the top senior student-athlete among the league's football players. Tatum, a two-time ACC Coach of the Year, coached in the 1950s at both Maryland and North Carolina and believed strongly in the concept of the student-athlete.
The owner of a 3.76 career GPA, Tom was named a 2021 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient after completing his undergraduate degree in Business and Enterprise Management with Cum Laude honors last spring. Tom has been an All-ACC Academic Team member each of the past two seasons while also earning ACC Academic Honor Roll honors during all four years in Winston-Salem. He is currently pursuing his Masters of Business, becoming just the second Wake Forest football student-athlete to enroll in the MBA program.
The 6-5, 295-pound Prairieville, Louisiana, native has been a mainstay on the offensive front for the Atlantic Division champion Demon Deacons, who enter this Saturday’s Subway ACC Football Championship Game leading the conference in scoring (42.9 points per game) and ranked third in total yards per contest (483.6).
A Campbell Trophy semifinalist, Tom also earned a spot on the preseason watch list for Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the best interior lineman in the country. Pro Football Focus has consistently ranked Tom as one of the nation’s top five pass blockers and top 25 overall offensive linemen. Tom was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week on Nov. 1 following his standout performance in Wake Forest’s 45-7 win over Duke.
“Everyone on our staff is extremely proud of how Zach Tom has excelled on and off the field during his career at Wake Forest,” said Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson. “His dedication and hard work have allowed him to become one of the best offensive tackles in the country, and he is just the second football student-athlete to enroll in Wake Forest’s prestigious M.B.A. program.
“On behalf of our football program, I would like to thank the Atlantic Coast Conference for recognizing Zach as the 2021 Jim Tatum Award recipient.”
Tom is the sixth Wake Forest football student-athlete to be honored with the ACC's Jim Tatum Award and the first since safety Ryan Janvion in 2016.
ACC Jim Tatum Award Winners
1979 - Scott Hamilton, Duke, G
1980 - No Award
1981 - Bert Krupp, LB, Virginia
1982 - Pat Chester, Virginia, S
Phil Denfield, Wake Forest, TE
1983 - Phil Denfield, Wake Forest, TE
1984 - Not Available
1985 - Kevin Anthony, North Carolina, QB
1986 - David Cardenas, Virginia, DB
1987 - Harris Barton, OT, North Carolina
1988 - Not Available
1989 - Doug Kley, Duke, DT
1990 - Charlie Cobb, NC State, C
1991 - Steve Ainsworth, Wake Forest, OL
1992 - Not Available
1993 - Thomas Burns, Virginia, LB
1994 - Ed Glenn, Clemson, TE
1995 - Russell Babb, North Carolina, OT
1996 - Daryl Bush, Florida State, DB
1997 - Stephen Phelan, Virginia, DB
Jonathan Claiborne, Maryland, S
1998 - Ebenezer Ekuban, North Carolina, DE
1999 - Noel LaMontagne, Virginia, G
2000 - Louis Marchetti, North Carolina, OT
2001 - Kyle Young, Clemson, C
2002 - Jeremy Muyres, Georgia Tech, DB
2003 - Chris Douglas, Duke, RB
2004 - Nick Novak, Maryland, PK
2005 - Brendan Dewan, Duke, LB
David Castillo, Florida State, C
2006 - Josh Wilson, Maryland, DB
2007 - Tom Santi, Virginia, TE
2008 - Darryl Richard, Georgia Tech, DT
2009 - Riley Skinner, Wake Forest, QB
2010 - Christian Ponder, Florida State, QB
2011 - Danny Coale, Virginia Tech, WR-P
2012 - Sean Renfree, Duke, QB
2013 - Perry Simmons, Duke, OT
2014 - David Helton, Duke, LB
2015 - Jeremy Cash, Duke, S
2016 - Ryan Janvion, Wake Forest, S
2017 - Braxton Berrios, Miami, WR
2018 - Christian Wilkins, Clemson, DT
2019 – Jordan Mack, Virginia, LB
2020 – Kingsley Jonathan, Syracuse, DE
2021 – Zach Tom, Wake Forest, OT