Nine Panthers Honored on All-ACC Coaches Team
12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
GREENSBORO, N. C. - Led by Jordan Whitehead and Qadree Ollison tying for overall Rookie of the Year honors, nine Pitt players were recognized on the All-ACC Football Team by the league's 14 head coaches on Wednesday.
A week after sweeping the overall, offensive and defensive rookie awards presented by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA), the coaches voted Whitehead and Ollison as a tie for Overall Rookie of the Year honors with five votes apiece. Whitehead took home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, while Ollison was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Whitehead (Aliquippa, Pa./Central Valley), who led the Pitt defense with 99 tackles, was also a third-team All-ACC selection. He finished the regular season ranking ninth in the ACC in tackles per game (8.2) and was the only freshman among the league's top 10 tacklers.
Ollison (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Canisius) has rushed for 1,048 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, becoming only the fifth freshman in Pitt history to achieve a 1,000-yard rushing season. He was a second-team All-ACC selection by the coaches as well.
Tyler Boyd and Adam Bisnowaty represented Pitt's first team All-ACC selections on offense. Boyd was the league's lone unanimous first-team pick on the Coaches All-ACC team, being named to all 13 ballots on which he was eligible.
For Boyd (Clairton, Pa./Clairton), this is the third All-ACC recognition of his career and second consecutive season he was a first-team pick. Boyd paces the ACC in receptions per game (7.7 avg.) and receiving yards per game (79.4 avg.). Boyd is Pitt's all-time career leader in catches (248) and receiving yards (3,308).
At left tackle, Bisnowaty (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) helped form the left side of a Pitt offensive line that produced a 1,000-yard rusher for the second consecutive season. Bisnowaty helped Pitt gain recognition as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, presented to the nation's top offensive front.
Fellow offensive lineman Dorian Johnson was a second team All-ACC recipient. Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon Area) started all 12 games at left guard.
Senior captain tight end J.P. Holtz was awarded third-team honors. Holtz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area), established career highs in catches (24) and yards (350), and tied his career high with four touchdowns.
On defense, Ejuan Price was a first-team selection. Price (Rankin, Pa./Woodland Hills) is fifth in the nation and first in the ACC with an average of 0.96 quarterback sacks per game. He has 11.5 total sacks, the most by a Pitt player since 2000. Price has compiled 19.5 tackles for loss on the year, ranking second nationally and second in the ACC (1.6 TFLs/game).
Whitehead was joined by seniors Nicholas Grigsby and Darryl Render on the All-ACC third team.
Grigsby (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) tallied 59 stops this season, including 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He was named the ACC's Linebacker of the Week for his performance against Youngstown State in the season opener.
A four-year fixture on the interior, Render (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward) has played an unheralded but invaluable role for the Panthers' nationally ranked defense. His statistics this season (16 tackles) belie his importance in eating up blocks, allowing Pitt's linebacker unit to roam free and make plays.
Pitt's nine honorees were third most among ACC schools. Clemson had 17 selections, followed by North Carolina with 13, while Pitt and Florida State each had nine.
The Panthers (8-4) will play Navy (9-2) in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman on December 28, in Annapolis, Md. The ESPN nationally televised game, which benefits the USO, will be played in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at 2:30 p.m. (ET).
