University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Four Panthers Named Semifinalists for National College Football Awards
12/7/2020 2:00:00 PM | Football
PITTSBURGH—Four Pitt standouts have been named semifinalists for some of college football's most prestigious postseason honors, it was announced today by the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA).
• Senior defensive ends Patrick Jones II and Rashad Weaver are semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, annually presented to the outstanding defensive player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club.
• Senior Alex Kessman is a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl and established by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
• Junior Kirk Christodoulou has been named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented to the college punter of the year by the Augusta Sports Council.
Two of the country's most disruptive defenders, Jones and Weaver headline a Pitt defense that leads the nation in sacks (43) and total tackles for loss (105). They are the Panthers' first Bednarik semifinalists since defensive end Ejuan Price in 2016. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald won the 2013 Bednarik Award.
Jones (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) leads the ACC and ranks second nationally with nine sacks. He is 12th in the nation with 13 TFLs.
Despite missing Pitt's opening contest, Weaver (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cooper City) has compiled 48 passer pressures to lead the country according to Pro Football Focus. He ranks third nationally in TFLs (an ACC-best 14.5) and 11th in sacks (7.5).
Kessman (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) is the most accurate long-distance field goal kicker in NCAA history, converting 66.7% of his attempts from 50-plus yards (12 of 18). He kicked a school-record 58-yarder at Boston College this season and is 4 of 5 from over 50 for the year.
Kessman leads the ACC and ranks seventh nationally with an average of 1.90 field goals per game. He ranks 12th in the country in overall scoring with a team-leading 86 points (19-of-25 field goals and 29-of-30 PATs). Kessman is Pitt's first Groza semifinalist since Chris Ferencik was a finalist in 1995.
Graded college football's No. 1 punter by Pro Football Focus, Christodoulou (Melbourne, Australia/Balwyn) is averaging 44.7 yards on 51 punts (42.7 net). He has placed 22 inside the 20-yard line and only has one touchback. Christodoulou becomes the first Pitt punter to be named a Ray Guy semifinalist since 2010 when Dan Hutchins was recognized.
The finalists for each of these awards will be announced on Dec. 22. Winners will be unveiled on ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Jan. 7, 2021.
Pitt plays its final regular-season game of the year this Thursday, Dec. 10, at Georgia Tech. The game will kick off at 7 p.m., and be locally televised by AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Senior defensive ends Patrick Jones II and Rashad Weaver are semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, annually presented to the outstanding defensive player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club.
• Senior Alex Kessman is a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl and established by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
• Junior Kirk Christodoulou has been named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented to the college punter of the year by the Augusta Sports Council.
Two of the country's most disruptive defenders, Jones and Weaver headline a Pitt defense that leads the nation in sacks (43) and total tackles for loss (105). They are the Panthers' first Bednarik semifinalists since defensive end Ejuan Price in 2016. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald won the 2013 Bednarik Award.
Jones (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) leads the ACC and ranks second nationally with nine sacks. He is 12th in the nation with 13 TFLs.
Despite missing Pitt's opening contest, Weaver (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cooper City) has compiled 48 passer pressures to lead the country according to Pro Football Focus. He ranks third nationally in TFLs (an ACC-best 14.5) and 11th in sacks (7.5).
Kessman (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) is the most accurate long-distance field goal kicker in NCAA history, converting 66.7% of his attempts from 50-plus yards (12 of 18). He kicked a school-record 58-yarder at Boston College this season and is 4 of 5 from over 50 for the year.
Kessman leads the ACC and ranks seventh nationally with an average of 1.90 field goals per game. He ranks 12th in the country in overall scoring with a team-leading 86 points (19-of-25 field goals and 29-of-30 PATs). Kessman is Pitt's first Groza semifinalist since Chris Ferencik was a finalist in 1995.
Graded college football's No. 1 punter by Pro Football Focus, Christodoulou (Melbourne, Australia/Balwyn) is averaging 44.7 yards on 51 punts (42.7 net). He has placed 22 inside the 20-yard line and only has one touchback. Christodoulou becomes the first Pitt punter to be named a Ray Guy semifinalist since 2010 when Dan Hutchins was recognized.
The finalists for each of these awards will be announced on Dec. 22. Winners will be unveiled on ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Jan. 7, 2021.
Pitt plays its final regular-season game of the year this Thursday, Dec. 10, at Georgia Tech. The game will kick off at 7 p.m., and be locally televised by AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Players Mentioned
P
/ Football
DL
/ Football
PK
/ Football
DL
/ FootballBest of 2025 | Military Bowl 12.27.25
Saturday, December 13
Between The Hashes with Pat Narduzzi | Quarter 4
Wednesday, December 10
Pitt Football | Signing Day 2026 | Media Availabilities
Wednesday, December 03
Signing Day 2026 | Media Availabilities
Wednesday, December 03