Inside The Panthers

Former Pitt RB Making NFL Debut with Jets

Former Pitt Panthers star Israel Abanikanda is dressed for the first time in his NFL career.

Stephen Thompson

Former Pitt RB Making NFL Debut with Jets
Former Pitt RB Making NFL Debut with Jets /
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PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers superstar Israel Abanikanda is in line to make his NFL debut this week against the Buffalo Bills after the New York Jets thinned out their running backs room. 

Abanikanda, who powered the Pitt offense with his speed last season during a breakout campaign, is dressed for a regular season game for the first time in his NFL career this week against the Buffalo Bills. After the Jets released Michael Carter earlier this week, Abanikanda is running back three and is expected to make some contributions on special teams and coming out of the backfield.  

Abanikanda has not only had to sit behind a deep room of veteran running backs, but has dealt with a preseason hamstring injury that put him behind the curve before his rookie year even really began. He had been the Jets' leading rusher during the preseason before an injury knocked him out in Week 2. Abanikanda has been a healthy scratch for all of the regular season.

Even if he does get to take some snaps for the Jets down the stretch of this season, Abanikanda's role will certainly be limited, at least to start. He still is behind Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook on the depth chart, but it seems like he will at least get to dress for an NFL game for the first time, if not contribute on special teams and take a handful of snaps.

New York selected Abanikanda, the 2022 ACC rushing champion, with the 143 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft after he racked up 1,577 total yards and 21 touchdowns during a breakout 2022 campaign in which he powered the Pitt offense and helped the team reach nine wins.

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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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