Pitt Football Class of 2020 Gets Boost in Re-Rankings

The Pitt Panthers Class of 2020 make a big impact on the field, which saw them receive a solid re-ranking from The Athletic.

Oct 29, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Israel Abanikanda (2) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers had a solid Class of 2020 for the football program, which yielded great results on the field and still has an impact going into next season.

Max Olson of The Athletic chose to re-rank the Class of 2020 for FBS programs, compared to their 247Sports Composite Rankings. The re-ranking included rating players on their acheivements on a numerical scale, 0 and 2-5. The best players, including All-Americans, award winners and high NFL Draft selections earned a No. 5 rating, while players who made no impact received a 0.

Olson also awarded teams a bonus for how they performed with these players and the performance of the players when they played with their respective teams, even if they chose to transfer.

Pitt received a ranking of No. 32, higher than their No. 45 ranking back in 2020. The re-ranking also pulled them up from No. 8 to No. 6 in the ACC. Clemson was first at No. 7, then Miami at No. 18, Duke at No. 19, North Carolina at No. 27 and Wake Forest at No. 31. Florida State finished eighth best in the ACC at No. 34.

The first 25 teams received in-depth analysis from Olson, so Pitt missed out on that, but there are two obvious five-star players from the Class of 2020, featuring wide receiver Jordan Addison and running back Israel Abanikanda.

Addison had a solid freshman season, making 60 catches for 666 yards and four touchdowns and showed small moments that would signal what he would do the following year.

His 2021 season is one of the greatest individual seasons in Pitt history and played a large role in helping the program win its first ACC title.

Addison made a program-record 100 catches for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns, earning him First Team All-ACC and consensus All-American honors, as well as winning the Biletnikoff Award, designating the best wide receiver in college football.

His receiving yards and receiving touchdowns that season both rank second in Pitt history, behind fellow Biletnikoff winner Larry Fitzgerald in 2003.

His work with Heisman finalist quarterback Kenny Pickett led to some incredible moments throughout the season. Pickett would also set the program record for passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season, 4,319 and 42, respectively.

Addison's best game came against Virginia in the home finale in Week 12. He made 14 catches for 202 yards and four touchdowns, with his last touchdown coming on a 62-yard catch-and-run to seal the ACC Coastal Title. His catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns rank third, seventh and tied for most in a game in Pitt history, respectively.

He would leave Pitt the following season, controversially, to go to USC, where he had a fine season, but not as spectacular as 2021. The Minnesota Vikings took him with the No. 23 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and he made it on to the PFWA All-Rookie Team last season.

He finished his two seasons at Pitt with 160 receptions, 2,259 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns, with his receptions and receiving touchdowns ranking sixth and tied for sixth most in Pitt history, respectively.

Abanikanda saw little production in 2020, but had a good 2021 season, leading the team with 651 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 123 carries. He also had 24 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown, plus a kickoff return for a touchdown in the win over Virginia.

His 2022 season saw him take on the bulk of the offensive production, as he rushed 239 times for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns. His rushing touchdowns and rushing yards rank fourth and eighth best in a season in Pitt history, respectively. He earned First Team All-American and First Team All-ACC honors for his efforts that season.

He had one of the best games in a Pitt uniform in a win at home against Virginia Tech in Week 6, as he rushed for a program record 320 yards and tied a program record of six rushing touchdowns in the 45-29 victory.

Abanikanda ended his three seasons at Pitt with 385 carries for 2,177 yards and 28 rushing touchdowns, which ranks tied for seventh most in program history.

The New York Jets drafted Abanikanda in the Fifth Round of the 2023 NFL Draft and has a chance to keep rising up the depth chart with the franchise.

Two other players that have a chance to continue their legacy at Pitt include redshirt senior place kicker Ben Sauls and offensive tackle Branson Taylor.

Sauls redshirted in 2020 and spent 2021 as the primary kickoff specialist, but won the job as field goal taker in 2022. He made 20-of-24 field goals, 83.33%, in 2022, which featured a career long of 51 yards against Duke in the home finale.

His best game came against UCLA in the 2022 Sun Bowl, where he made all five field goals, including a last-second one from 47 yards to win a thrilling contest, 37-35.

Sauls converted 11-of-16 field goals, 68.75%, last season and will look to improve on that number with new special teams coach Jacob Bronwoski.

Taylor played in just three games in 2020, as he redshirted, and then played in 12 games in 2021, primarily on the field goal/XP unit. He played in all 13 games in 2022, starting four times at left tackle.

He started in all 11 contests last season, including the first eight at right tackle, but transitioned to left tackle for the final three games of the season, where he'll look to start again at next season. A good season under new offensive line coach Jerermy Darveau might start to see NFL scouts look his way and boost his stock heading into the next Draft.

Many of the other players that featured prominently for the Panthers in recent years all transferred this offseason. Two-year starting linebacker Bangally Kamara transferred to South Carolina after the season and starters last season in linebacker Solomon Deshields and defensive end Dayon Hayes went to Texas A&M and Colorado, respectively.

Reserve defensive backs in Buddy Mack III and Jahvante Royal also left the program this offseason, with Mack landing at his hometown South Carolina. Wide receiver Jaylen Barden transferred to Georgia Southern after the 2022 season and did so again this past offseason and is now at Samford in the FCS.

A number of players in the Class of 2020 hardly or never played for the program in their time with the team. This includes offensive lineman Michael Statham Jr., defensive linemen Emmanuel Belgrave and Samuel Williams, defensive back Hunter Sellers, linebackers Aydin Henningham and AJ Roberts, as well as junior college tight end Daniel Moraga.

Wide receiver Jake McConnachie earned a scholarship prior to the 2023 season, the only walk-on to do so from the Class of 2020.

Redshirt senior defensive back Rashad Battle spent most of the last two seaons injured, but has a chance this season to lock down a starting cornerback spot.

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