Two Pitt Panthers Among Top 150 in College Football

Following spring camps from coast to coast and to Hawaii and back, CBS Sports churned out a reporting naming college football's 150 best players heading into the 2024-25 season, including two Pitt Panthers.

Among that pair are standout players on each side of the ball, big-time producers during breakout seasons, including a first-ever season in a Pittsburgh Panthers uniform following an off-season transfer between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

Linebacker Kyle Louis

The Pittsburgh star and fan favorite Kyle Louis ranked No. 23 among the 150 top college football players following a stellar junior year that earned the New Jersey product All-American honors.

Throughout the fall, Louis churned out 101 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four interceptions (including a pick-six), three pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

"Everybody's got to put the work in," Louis said after the Blue-Gold Game. "The work I always put in, everybody always sees me either getting extra film in, putting extra work in. Everything matters. I always believe in just leading by example. I've never been the type to be too vocal about it. I'm definitely stepping up in a vocal role, but number one thing is leading by example.

"If you do what's right, everybody else is going to fall behind that."

While returning an All-American like Louis who impacts anything and everything within the front seven and makes big-time plays in the defensive backfield, he's the star player among another one of college football's 10 best returning linebackers in Rasheem Biles, per Pro Football Focus.

Those two will flank a mike linebacker duo drawing a lot of excitement in Braylan Lovelace (53 total tackles, 11TFL, four sacks, a 33-yard pick-six, and a pass breakup in 2024) and what may be one of the most impressive rising true sophomores in the musclebound Jeremiah Marcelin.

All-Purpose Back Desmond Reid

Nov 2, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Desmond Reid (0) in action during the game between the Southern Methodist Mustangs and the Pittsburgh Panthers at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In the breakdown of the 150 best players entering the 2025-26 season, Desmond Reid was tabbed No. 130.

Many would have listed Reid in the above subheading, which would be accurate, of course. However, there's a good argument that the Florida native's most accurate label is all-purpose back.

Why?

In his first challenge facing ACC defenses on Satudays after transferring in from Western Carolina alongside offensive coordinator Kade Bell, Reid put together an impressive all-purpose stat line.

He recorded184 carries for 966 yards (5.3 yards/carry) and five touchdowns along with 52 receptions for 579 yards and four touchdown, adding up to an impressive 1,545 total yards from scrimmage and nine scores. Next on his agenda is staying off the sideline, allowing Reid to improve on those numbers.

“I'm trying to be better than last year,” Reid said in Thursday’s post-practice press conference available on YouTube. "Shoot, I didn't play every game last year, dealing with injuries. That's my goal this year, to play every game and be able to help the team.

“I've been trying to get a little bigger, trying to do different stuff in the treatment room because at this point, I'm still trying to figure out what all I need to do to make sure I'm ready for game day, and for the season,” Reid added. “That's something I'm still trying to figure out.”

If both Louis and Reid improve statistically this fall, it would boost the Panthers in a quest to reach a Conference Championship battle for the first time since 2018.

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