Pitt Duo Ranks in ESPN Top 100 Players List

Two Pitt Panthers were some of the best college football players in 2024.

Oct 12, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Kyle Louis (9) reacts after a defensive stop against the California Golden Bears during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 17-15. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- A Pitt Panthers duo put on great performances throughout the 2024 season, earning themselves national recognition.

ESPN released their top 100 players in college football in 2024 and placed two Pitt players on it. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Kyle Louis ranked No. 84 and junior running back Desmond Reid ranked No. 94.

Both players earned All-American Honors from CBS Sports, The Athletic, Phil Steele and the Associated Press. They are also the first two Pitt players to earn AP All-American honors since defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and running back Israel Abanikanda did so in 2022.

Louis earned First Team All-American honors from The Sporting News, making him the 100th Panther to earn the honor. He was also the first Pitt sophomore defensive player since Hugh Green in 1978 to earn First Team All-American honors from an NCAA recognized-selector.

Reid also received a Second Team All-American honor from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and ESPN. He earned All-ACC First Team honors as both all-purpose and return specialist and an All-ACC Honorable Mention at running back. AP also named him as All-ACC First Team All-Purpose back.

He showed his talent in the season opener against Kent State at home on Aug. 31, leading Pitt with 10 rushes for 145 yards and returning a punt for a 78-yard touchdown. He also broke through the Kent State defense for a 46-yard rushing touchdown, running right past any defender that came remotely near him.

Reid had an even better game against Cincinnati in the River City Rivalry on the road in Week 2 on Sept. 7.

Reid finished with six catches for 106 receiving yards and a touchdown and had 19 carries for 148 yards, recording the first game a Pitt player had 100+ yards receiving and rushing. His best play came in the fourth quarter, as he took a pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein and ran 56 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead down to just two points.

He earned ACC Running Back of the Week honors for that performance, and led Pitt on a comeback, down 27-6 in the third quarter, to win 28-27, their largest comeback in more than 50 years.

Reid also earned ACC Wide Receiver of the Week honors in the 34-24 road win over North Carolina in Week 6 on Oct. 5.

He had 18 carries for 55 yards on the ground, but starred as option in the passing game for Holstein, making 11 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

The Pitt offense struggled in the 17-15 win vs. Cal in Week 7, but Reid had a 72-yard rushing touchdown, plus one from five yards out for two scores.

Reid finished with a season-high 165 rushing yards on 32 carries and ran for a touchdown in the loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit.

He ended the season with 184 carries for 966 yards, 5.3 yards per carry, and five touchdowns, 52 catches for 579 yards and four touchdowns and 13 punt returns for 159 yards and the touchdown vs. Kent State, in 11 games.

"At 5-7, Reid was often dwarfed by the defenders tasked with bringing him down, but more often than not, he made them look foolish trying. Few players were as elusive in 2024, and few made a bigger all-around impact," David Hale wrote.

"Reid finished with 966 rushing yards, 579 receiving yards and 159 punt return yards, notching 10 total touchdowns -- including at least one each rushing, receiving and on returns. How unlikely is that stat line? In the past 20 years, former Clemson great C.J. Spiller is the only other FBS player with a 900/500/150 yardage split and a touchdown in each category in the same season."

Louis earned All-ACC First Team honors, as he had an excellent season at Star or outside linebacker, making 12 starts. The AP also named him as an All-ACC First Team linebacker.

He made 101 tackles (45 solo), 15.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four interceptions, three pass breakups and forced a fumble in 13 games this season. He also earned ACC Linebacker of the Week honors twice in the win vs. West Virginia and North Carolina.

Louis had a season-high 13 tackles (five solo), 0.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and the game-sealing interception of Mountaineers redshirt senior quarterback Garrett Greene. 

He would make nine tackles (five solo), 2.5 tackles for loss and the game-winning sack on the final Tar Heels drive, giving the Panthers their first ever win in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Louis would also make a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 41-13 blowout win over rival Syracuse on Oct. 24. He was one of five players to make an interception and one of three to return one for a touchdown in the victory.

He blocked a PAT and ran it back 85 yards against Toledo in the 48-46 loss in the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit. This was the first time Pitt blocked a PAT and took it all the way for two points since Sept. 20, 1990, a 20-20 tie at the Carrier Dome.

"Arguably the most versatile linebacker in the country in 2024, Louis did it all for Pitt," Hale wrote. "Louis racked up 105 tackles, picked off four passes, forced a fumble, and had 15.5 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 27 pressures and 9 QB hurries. Louis and Utah's Devin Lloyd, a 2021 consensus All-American, are the only two defenders in the past 10 years to rack up 100 tackles, 4 interceptions and 7 sacks in the same season."

Both players announced that they're returning to the Panthers in 2025 and will look to have another great season.

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