Inside The Panthers

Eight Panthers Named to Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC Team

The Pitt Panthers have eight players named to nine spots on Phil Steele's preseason All-ACC team.

Stephen Thompson

Eight Panthers Named to Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC Team
Eight Panthers Named to Phil Steele Preseason All-ACC Team /
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PITTSBURGH -- College football insider Phil Steele has plenty of respect for the talent the Pitt Panthers have on their roster entering the 2023 season and he demonstrated that in his Preseason All-ACC Team. 

Steele named eight Panthers to nine different spots on his early all-conference team, including two specialists, five offensive players and a pair of defenders. 

Ben Sauls and M.J. Devonshire both made the first team as a placekicker and punt returner, respectively. Sauls made all of his 47 extra points, 83.3% of his field goals and 15 of his final 16 3-pointers, while Devonshire averaged nearly 10 yards per punt return while taking one back for a score in 2022. 

Devonshire made the second team as a defensive back as well, coming off a season in which he led Pitt corners in tackles, defended eight passes, intercepted three balls and returned two for touchdowns. Right tackle Matt Goncalves is the Panthers' other second-teamer after he established himself as a stalwart blocker while the whole line shuffled in the wake of key injuries. 

Running back Rodney Hammond, who accounted for 533 total yards and five scores as star rusher Israel Abanikanda's backup, joined 2022's second-leading receiver, receiver Konata Mumpfield (551 yards, one touchdown) and tight end Gavin Bartholomew (283 receiving yards, two touchdowns) on the third team offense. Linebacker Bangally Kamara (49 tackles, three TFLs, one interception, seven passes defended in 2022) is the Panthers' lone third team defender. 

Center Jake Kradel, who was a standout starter at multiple positions along the injury-hampered offensive line last season, made the fourth team offense. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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