Pitt Lands Four on ESPN's All-Playoff Era Team
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers were well-represented in ESPN's list of the top players during the past decade of college football.
Dubbed the "All-playoff era team", ESPN's David Hale included four Panthers among the honorable mentions at their respective positions when determining the top players of the College Football Playoff era thus far, which has ranged from 2014 to 2023.
James Conner was one of two skill position players from Pitt who was under consideration as part of the list at running back. During his tenure with the program from 2013 to 2016, Conner racked up 3,733 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns on 66 attempts, each of those totals ranking second in school history behind Tony Dorsett.
Conner was named ACC Player of the Year, first-team All-American and first-team All-ACC in 2014 after putting up 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground. He was later selected by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers with pick No. 105 in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Jordan Addison also cracked the rankings at wide receiver. One of the most dynamic weapons in Pitt history, Addison was a Freshman All-American in 2020 after posting 666 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
He took it up a notch during the Panthers' run to the ACC Championship in 2021, recording 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns on 100 receptions while being named a consensus All-American and winning the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the country. Addison would go on to finish his college career at USC in 2022 and was a first-round selection of the Minnesota Vikings in 2023.
Considering Pitt earned a reputation for its ability to churn out defensive line talent around this time, it's no surprise two players from the position group also found their way on the list, the first of whom being Rashad Weaver.
Weaver played three seasons with the Panthers at defensive end and put up 109 tackles, 17 sacks and 34 tackles for loss from 2017 to 2020. After missing the 2019 season with a torn ACL, Weaver returned as a man on a mission in 2020 and was both a consensus All-American and first-team All-ACC honoree. He was eventually selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
The final Pitt honorable mention was defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. He spent three years with the program from 2020 to 2022 and was one of the most disruptive interior pass rushers in the country, recording a total of 16 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss. He was a two-time first-team All-ACC member and later garnered ACC Defensive Player of the Year and unanimous All-American honors in 2022. Kancey was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with pick No. 19 of the first round in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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