Two Pitt Players Named to PFF ACC Team of the Week

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers landed two players on the Pro Football Focus ACC Team of the Week list for their performances in the 42-28 win over Georgia Tech.

True freshman running back Ja'Kyrian Turner and linebacker Kyle Louis earned the honors this week. They were both key contributors in the win.

This is the third time this year that Louis has earned the honor, and this is the first time for Turner.

Ja'Kyrian Turner

Turner had a career game in the win. The speedy freshman back had 21 carries for 201 yards and a game-sealing 56-yard touchdown in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

His yardage total was the most by a Pitt running back since Israel Abanikanda rushed for 320 yards against Virginia Tech in 2022. It was also the most by a Pitt freshman since Quadree Ollison had 207 yards against Youngstown State in 2015.

Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Ja'Kyrian Turner (25) is tackled by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Kelvin Hill (16) in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Turner was so dominant that he had six of the Panthers' 15 plays of 10+ yards belong to him, and so did 51.7% of the total yards produced by the offense.

But maybe most impressive of all was how physical Turner was with the ball in his hands. Turner stands at just 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds — quite undersized for a Power Four running back.

However, according to PFF, Turner forced a season-high eight missed tackles and averaged 6.7 yards after contact, with 134 of his 201 rushing yards coming after contact — meaning that outside of his 56-yard touchdown, he had only 11 rushing yards where he went untouched.

Kyle Louis

Louis matched his season-high of 11 tackles and also tallied a sack on five pressures.

Interestingly, PFF chose Louis over Braylan Lovelace, who had a 100-yard pick-six and a slightly better overall grade than Louis did.

But where Louis likely earned the honor was with his superior tackling and pass rushing grades of 86.2 and 90.5, respectively.

Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) is sacked by Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Nonetheless, Louis is having another strong season. Along with his multiple PFF honors, he was also named ACC Linebacker of the Week against Duquesne and to the Lombardi Award Watch List, along with being named to several preseason award watch lists.

Louis is right behind Rasheem Biles for being Pitt's leading tackler this season with 67 takedowns. Louis also has three sacks. three pass breakups, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt