Inside The Panthers

ESPN Insiders Place Three Pitt Players on Midseason All-ACC Team

Israel Abanikanda leads three Pitt Panthers on ESPN's midseason All-ACC team.

Stephen Thompson

ESPN Insiders Place Three Pitt Players on Midseason All-ACC Team
ESPN Insiders Place Three Pitt Players on Midseason All-ACC Team /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have hit the midway point of their 2022 season. With six games down and six more to go in the regular season, candidates for conference awards are starting to emerge and the Pitt Panthers have three players in prime position to land on the All-ACC first team, according to ESPN's ACC insiders David Hale and Adrea Adelson. 

Hale and Adelson have three Panthers - running back Israel Abanikanda, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and safety Erick Hallett - among their midseason All-ACC selections and Adelson even gave Abanikanda the nod as Offensive Player of the Year. 

Abanikanda's credentials are well-known. After carving up Virginia Tech for 320 yards and six touchdowns, Abanikanda leads the conference in yards and touchdowns, is third in yards per rush and owns the longest run of any ACC back this season. 

Kancey's 2022 campaign got off to a slow start but he has looked much more like himself as of late. Kancey ranks second in the league with 85 tackles for loss and is tied for tenth in sacks with three. 

Hallett has been one of the most productive backfield defenders in the ACC, if not the country, all year long. He leads the conference in interceptions with three and fumbles recovered with two. He is also tied for fifth in passes defended with six.

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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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