Pitt football players have made it a habit of winning individual awards ever since the Panthers joined the ACC.
Aaron Donald was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and James Conner was named the ACC Player of the Year last season.
You can add a couple of more players to that list of award winners.
Freshman safety Jordan Whitehead was named both the ACC’s overall and defensive Rookie of the Year, while freshman running back Qadree Ollison was named the ACC’s offensive Rookie of the Year.
“Our entire program takes great pride in these well-deserved honors for Jordan and Qadree,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “Even though they are freshmen, we gave them a lot of responsibility this season and they responded in outstanding fashion. Their production on the field speaks for itself. More importantly, both Jordan and Qadree grew as leaders for our team.”
Whitehead is the first defensive player to win the ACC’s overall Rookie of the Year honor since North Carolina cornerback Dre’ Bly did so in 1996.
He led the Panthers with 99 tackles. His average of 8.2 tackles per game ranked eighth in the ACC and he was the only freshman among the league’s top 10 tacklers.
His 99 tackles were the most by a Pitt true freshman in 28 years.
Ollison seized the opportunity as the Panthers lead back after an injury to Conner in the Panthers season opener. An afterthought coming into the season, the freshman finished the season with 1,048 yards and 10 touchdowns on 204 carries (5.1 avg.).
In the process he became only the fifth freshmen running back in Pitt history to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau in a season.
Pitt is the first school to sweep each of the ACC rookie awards in the same season.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
