As the Pitt Panthers prepare for their December 28 trip to Annapolis for the Military Bowl, several of their players were honored on Wednesday from the coaches who they faced during the regular season.
Freshmen Jordan Whitehead and Qadree Ollison tied for overall Rookie of the Year honors. The two were named the offensive and defensive rookie of the year last week by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.
Whitehead led the Pitt defense with 99 tackles and was a third-team All-ACC selection by the coaches.
Ollison rushed for 1,048 yards and 10 touchdowns and was a second team selection.
Junior Tyler Boyd was the league’s only unanimous first-team pick by the coaches after a season in which he became the Panthers all-time leading receiver.
He is joined on the first team by left tackle Adam Bisnowaty.
Defensive end Ejuan Price was finally healthy this season and had a huge regular season in which ranked fifth in the nation and first in the ACC with an average of 0.96 quarterback sacks per game. He has 11.5 total sacks, the most by a Pitt player since 2000. That was good enough to land him a spot on the first team.
Joining Ollison on the second team were guard Dorian Johnson and tight end J.P. Holtz.
Johnson helped anchor an offensive line that produced yet another 1,000-yard back, while Holtz had career highs in catches (24) and yards (350), also catching four touchdowns.
Joining Whitehead on the third team were Nicholas Grigsby and Darryl Render.
Grigsby had 59 tackles on the season, including 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Render was a force in the middle all year long.
The Panthers will conclude the 2015 season when they take on No. 21 Navy in Annapolis on December 28.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
