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School Bio/Stats Link: HERE
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/2024
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> Projected Round: Stock: 
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Data Scout Notes: X-Up to 2-3/Bigger Back/Faster/More ATH-Great 22/239-1431-6.0-20TD Rush 2022: 12/19/22-Announced Early Entry into 2023 NFL Draft...1stC...PHornung...2021: NAC...2020: NAC
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Combine Results |
Pro Day Results |
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Zybek PD3X AKA "Official"
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, Player News
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Five more Pitt players announced via Twitter on Monday morning that they will forego the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft, and all of them were starters. Running back Israel Abanikanda, offensive tackle Gabe Houy, offensive tackle Car ter Warren, linebacker SirVocea Dennis and defensive end Deslin Alexandre all took to social media to announce their decisions to skip the game. They joined both unanimous All-American defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, and safety Brandon Hill, who earned an All-ACC honorable mention, as Pitt starters who have announced they would skip the Sun Bowl but not enter the transfer portal.Hill's announcement indicated his intentions to declare for the NFL draft, while Kancey's announcement was purely that he wouldn't be able to play due to injury. As of Monday, Kancey hasn't declared for the draft, even though he's a nationally recognized product who's moved up draft boards with a strong season. Abanikanda led the ACC with 1,431 rushing yards to earn fir st team All-ACC honors and led the country with 21 total touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior out of Brooklyn, N.Y., was the focal point of the Panthers' offense throughout the season. - Pittsburgh Post Gazette
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023  RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
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2022 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: RB - Israel Abanikanda, Pitt, 187 votes,...Earning first-team accolades were running back Israel Abanikanda, guard Marcus Minor, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and linebacker SirVocea Dennis. Abanikanda has rushed for a n ACC-leading 1,431 yards with Minor helping pave the way. - Pittsburgh Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Football
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Atlantic Division champion Clemson leads the 2022 All-ACC Football Teams announced on Tuesday. The Tigers filled a total of 12 spots on the first, second and third teams, with sophomore Will Shipley becoming the first-ever player to earn first-team honor s at three positions with his selection at running back, all-purpose and specialist. Pitt followed with nine selections, while Florida State and Coastal Division champion North Carolina had eight honorees apiece. The All-ACC teams were chosen by a voting panel of 51 media members and each of the league's 14 head coaches for a total of 65 voters. Three points were awarded for each first-team vote, two points for each second-team vote, and one point for each third-team selection.Pitt running back I srael Abanikanda, the ACC's leading rusher with 1,431 yards, was the top overall vote-getter with 187 total points. A pair of wide receivers - Boston College's Zay Flowers and North Carolina's Josh Downs - each collected 184 total points. Abanikanda and Shipley (1,092 rushing yards) are joined in the All-ACC first-team backfield by North Carolina freshman quarterback Drake Maye, who currently leads the nation in total offense with 4,476 yards and earned 177 total points in the All-ACC balloting. - ACC F ootball
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: ACC Football
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NOV 21 ACC RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK: Israel Abanikanda, Pitt, RB, Brooklyn, N.Y.,...Registered his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season in the Panthers' 28-26 win over Duke, the most by a Pitt player since Dion Lewis logged 10 during the 2009 seaso n ... Rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries ... Added a 2-point conversion rush that ultimately provided the winning margin ... His six-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter gave him 19 total (18 via rush) for the year, tied for the nati onal lead. - ACC Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: ACC Football
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Israel Abanikanda ran for 113 yards and a touchdown and Brandon Hill returned a Duke fumble 30 yards for a score as Pittsburgh edged the Blue Devils 28-26 on Saturday. The Panthers (7-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Blue Devils (7-4, 4-3) for the eighth time in nine meetings despite nearly squandering a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Duke's Riley Leonard threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns, including a 19-yard fourth-down strike to Jaylen Coleman with 47 seconds to go that pulled t he Blue Devils within two. Duke appeared to try its own version of the "Philly Special" on the conversion, but the Panthers swarmed Blue Devils wide receiver Jordan Moore before Moore could locate Leonard running free in the end zone. Hill's 30-yard scoo p and score put the Panthers up 28-14 with 13:30 to play. Yet Pitt made a series of miscues down the stretch, including leaving Moore uncovered on a 49-yard touchdown pass that made it 28-20 with 9:28 remaining. Duke curiously opted to go for two after t he score, with Leonard's pass falling incomplete.The mistakes didn't end there. A botched snap by Panthers punter Caleb Junko gave Duke the ball at the Pitt 22 with 3:15 to go. The Panthers eventually forced a fourth-and-18 at the Pitt 19 but left Coleman all alone near the goal line. He walked into the end zone but Pitt linebacker SirVocea Dennis blew up the conversion and the Panthers held on for their third straight win. Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis completed 15 of 32 passes for 190 yards wit h a touchdown and two costly second-half interceptions that prevented the Panthers from pulling away. Pitt played most of the second half without star defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. The Nagurski and Outland Trophy finalist didn't play most of the final two quarters due to an apparent injury. The Blue Devils were hardly mistake-free. In addition to the fumble by Jordan Waters that Hill returned for a score, wide receiver Jontavis Robertson dropped a touchdown late in the third quarter when a fourth-dow n heave by Leonard from the Pitt 32 smacked off his hands and fell to the turf. - Pittsburgh/AP College Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh/AP College Football
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OCT 10 ACC RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK: Israel Abanikanda, Pitt, RB, Brooklyn, N.Y.,...Had a historic day in earning ACC Running Back of the Week honors for the third time this season, rushing for 320 yards and six touchdowns on 36 carries in the Panthers' 45-29 win over Virginia Tech ... With the fourth-most rushing yards by a player in a game in ACC history, Abanikanda broke the legendary Tony Dorsett's Pitt single-game rushing record of 303 yards set against Notre Dame on Nov. 15, 1975 ... Abanikanda al so tied the 122-year-old school record for rushing touchdowns in a game, initially set by Norman Budd against Ohio on Oct. 29, 1910 ... Per ESPN Stats & Info, Abanikanda is the first Power 5/BCS player to top 300 rush yards with six rushing TDs in a game since Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams (Texas) in 1998 ... Also named the Walter Camp National Player of the Week, Abanikanda rushed for 100+ yards for the fourth time this year. - ACC Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: ACC Football
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Israel Abanikanda of Pittsburgh became the first 300-yard rusher since 2020 when he went for a school-record 320 on 36 carries against Virginia Tech. Abanikanda beat the previous Pitt record of 303 yards by Tony Dorsett in 1975 against Notre Dame. Abanik anda's six touchdowns tied the school and Atlantic Coast Conference records. His big outing came a week after he left the game against Georgia Tech in the second quarter because of a shoulder injury. The previous Bowl Subdivision player to go over 300 wa s Ohio State's Trey Sermon, who had 331 on 29 carries against Northwestern in 2020. - AP College Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: AP College Football
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OCT 9 WALTER CAMP NATIONAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ISRAEL ABANIKANDA, PITTSBURGH, Junior, Running Back, Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln HS,...Israel Abanikanda set a Pittsburgh school single-game record with 320 rushing yards (on 36 attempts) and tied a school and Atlantic Coast Conference record with six touchdowns as the Panthers defeated Virginia Tech, 45-29. Abanikanda broke former Walter Camp Player of Year Tony Dorsett's previous school record of 303 yards (set on Nov. 15, 1975 vs. Notre Dame). Abanikanda scored on runs of 38, 17, 29, 5, 10 and 80 yards as Pittsburgh improved to 4-2, 1-1 in the ACC. Notes: Israel Abankianda is the eighth Pittsburgh player to earn Walter Camp National Player of Week honors since 2004 and the first since former Panther running back Darrin Hall (Nov. 5, 2018). - Walter Camp Football Foundation
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Walter Camp Football Foundation
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Israel Abanikanda ran for 320 yards to break Tony Dorsett's Pittsburgh record and scored six touchdowns in the Panthers' 45-29 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday. Dorsett ran for 303 yards in 1975 against Notre Dame. Abanikanda broke the rushing reco rd with a 6-yard carry in the fourth quarter. Abanikanda also tied the school and Atlantic Coast Conference records for touchdowns. Norman Budd scored six touchdowns for Pitt against Ohio in 1910. Abanikanda helped Pitt (1-1, 4-2) rebound from an ugly ho me loss last week against a Georgia Tech team that fired its head coach earlier in the week. Abanikanda, the ACC's leading rusher, had his arm in a sling at the end of last week's game against Georgia Tech. Grant Wells completed 25 passes for 277 yards w ith a touchdown and interception for Virginia Tech, which was coming off of back-to-back blowout losses against North Carolina and West Virginia. Virginia Tech (1-2, 2-4) scored 29 points after putting up 20 points total in its two previous contests, the Hokies' worst stretch since 1989.The Hokies jumped out to an early 16-7 lead, but an offensive lull allowed the Panthers to score the next 24 points. After a second-quarter touchdown, the Hokies punted five times - including four three-and-outs - and threw an interception on their next six drives. Pitt led 17-16 at halftime and Abanikanda extended the advantage on the Panthers' second drive of the second half. Abanikanda scored his third touchdown of the game, this one a 29-yard run along the le ft side to give the Panthers a 24-16 lead. Abanikanda scored his fourth touchdown on the Panthers' next drive, capping a seven-play, 56-yard series, putting Pitt in front, 31-16. - Pittsburgh/AP College Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh/AP College Football
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SEPT 26 ACC RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK: Israel Abanikanda, Pitt, RB, Brooklyn, N.Y.,...Named ACC Running Back of the Week for the second time this season ... Posted his third consecutive 100-yard rushing effort with another prolific outing in the Panthers' 45-24 win over Rhode Island ... Rushed for a career-high 177 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries—an impressive 9.3-yard average ... Touchdown runs covered 67, 12, 24 and 13 yards ... First Pitt player to compile three consecutive 100-yard games si nce All-ACC performer Darrin Hall in 2017 and first Panther to rush for four TDs in a game since Hall against North Carolina on Nov. 9, 2017. - ACC Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: ACC Football
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Tailback Israel Abanikanda rushed for four touchdowns and quarterback Kedon Slovis was solid in his returned from injury as No. 24 Pittsburgh beat Rhode Island 45-24 on Saturday. The Panthers (3-1) rushed for 272 yards and scored at least 30 points for t he ninth time in 11 games, and Slovis had plenty of help on the ground from Abanikanda, who had 19 carries for 177 yards. The four touchdowns tied for second-most in program history. It marked the first time a Pitt running back rushed for that many TDs i n a game since Darrin Hall against North Carolina on November 2017. Slovis started after missing last week's win at Western Michigan with an undisclosed injury. He was an efficient 20 of 27 for 189 yards. A USC transfer, he hadn't played since the first half of an overtime loss against Tennessee two weeks ago. Marquis DeShields scored a pair of touchdowns for Rhode Island (2-2), the alma mater of Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi. The Rams, playing their first-ever game against a ranked FBS opponent, trailed by 1 0 points at halftime before Pitt pulled away after the break.The Panthers took a 7-0 lead the first time they touched the ball on M.J. Devonshire's 82-yard punt return for a touchdown. On Pitt's second possession, Abanikanda ran untouched up the m iddle for a 67-yard touchdown. It was his second rushing touchdown of 60 yards or more this season. DeShields answered less than a minute later for Rhode Island with a 63-yard touchdown. Abanikanda scored his second touchdown on Pitt's next possession, a 12-yard run to make it a 21-7 game. Slovis ran for a first down and the Panthers converted a fourth down during the 16-play, 82-yard drive that spanned nearly eight minutes. Pitt added a 31-yard field goal and DeShields scored his second touchdown in th e final minute of the first half. Abanikanda scored again on Pitt's opening drive of the second half, capping a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 24-yard run. - Pittsburgh/AP College Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh/AP College Football
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Pitt junior running back Israel Abanikanda carried the ball 31 times for 131 yards and a touchdown to lead the No. 23 Panthers to a 34-13 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday. Pitt (2-1) was without its top two quarterbacks for the nonconference con test, but third-string signal caller Nate Yarnell was efficient under center, going 9-for-12 passing for 179 yards and a touchdown. Western Michigan (1-2) had its opportunities, with a 31-yard double pass from receiver Anthony Sambucci to receiver A.J. A bbott for a touchdown that cut Pitt's lead to 20-13 heading into the fourth quarter. Pitt responded on its next drive when Yarnell found sophomore receiver Konata Mumpfield for a 6-yard touchdown reception to give the Panthers a two-score cushion. Redshi rt junior running back Daniel Carter would ice the game with 3:03 to play in the fourth quarter when he plunged in for a 4-yard touchdown run. - Pitt/AP College Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pitt/AP College Football
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SEPT 12 ACC RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK: Israel Abanikanda, Pitt, RB, Brooklyn, N.Y.,...Rushed for a career-high 154 yards with a touchdown on 25 carries (6.2 avg.) against No. 24 Tennessee...Added a 21-yard reception to finish with 175 scrimmage yards...Ga ve Pitt a 10-0 first-quarter lead with a 76-yard touchdown run, the Panthers' longest rush since Nov. 10, 2018, when Qadree Ollison had a school-record 97-yard run (TD) against Virginia Tech. - ACC Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: ACC Football
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2022 PRESEASON PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST: Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh,...Abanikanda (Brooklyn, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln) lands on the Hornung Award watch list as a versatile weapon for the Panthers feared as a rusher, receiver and returner. The New Yor k City area product led the defending ACC champions in rushing yards (651) and rushing touchdowns (seven) last season and was also a threat in the passing game with 24 catches for 197 yards and another score. Furthermore, Abanikanda emerged as a kickoff return specialist, averaging 29.4 yards per attempt with a 98-yard kick return touchdown against Virginia that earned him ACC Specialist of the Week honors and helped Pitt clinch the Coastal over the Cavaliers. - Pitt Football
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pitt Football
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Andre Powell has been coaching running backs about a decade longer than any of his Pitt players have been alive. He can teach the proper method to follow blocks, encourage them to break tackles and stress the importance of protecting the quarterback. But some players come equipped with certain skills that Pitt's seventh-year running backs coach can only sit back and enjoy.From all accounts, sophomore Izzy Abanikanda is one of those players. At least, that's the type of player the coaching staff i s hoping to see as training camp progresses. "I can't coach a guy to be really fast. I can't coach a guy to be really strong," Powell said. "He has some of those of things." The buzzword around camp is "explosiveness" when the subject turns to Abanikanda , who is atop the running back pecking order after less than a week of camp. To be clear, coach Pat Narduzzi hasn't promised Abanikanda will be Pitt's starting running back Sept. 4 in the opener against UMass. But if camp evolves the way Narduzzi expects , Abanikanda will get more than his share of touches. "He sees a hole, he takes it," right guard Jake Kradel said. "He takes it for about 15-20 yards, and he's gone." - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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Two players pushing starters for playing time were named the most improved players during Pitt's spring drills. Running back Izzy Abanikanda and senior outside linebacker John Petrishen (Lower Burrell/Central Catholic) were chosen on both sides of the ba ll by coach Pat Narduzzi and his staff. The announcement was made Saturday prior to the Blue Gold game at Heinz Field. Abanikanda (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) flashed his speed in the truncated spring drills of 2020, but played sparingly as a freshman, carryi ng 28 times for 95 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a touchdown pass in the Boston College game. His playing time was limited as he learned the demands and nuances of playing running back at the collegiate level.After Narduzzi all but named V incent Davis his starting running back at the start of spring drills this year, Abanikanda started catching the coach's eyes with improved pass blocking and ball-carrying abilities. Now, there will be intense summer camp competition for Pitt's starting r unning back job. "Izzy has taken major strides in becoming a complete back," Narduzzi said in a statement. "His ability to run was always apparent. This spring he made excellent progress in his protections and overall assignments. Izzy is really putting it all together and it is exciting to see." - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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Narduzzi said he won't abandon the running game, which repeatedly has failed this season. "We are going to continue to try and, eventually, just keep pounding that rock, pounding that rock," he said. "The first hit might not make it, but after that 115th , 200th, 2,000th hit on that stone, that thing will crack open. "We have to continue to push and work to dig through that thing." Pitt is ranked 93rd of 102 teams nationwide and 14th of 15 in the ACC, with an average of 98 rushing yards per game. Izzy Ab anicanda has only 11 carries in the past four games, but Narduzzi remains patient with his freshman running back. "It's day by day. He's still a puppy," he said. "Sometimes, it just takes a little longer. It's a process and you have to trust the process, whether it's in the run game or having patience with your players. He's a great kid." - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
(DS#7 RB) Jr/2023 RB *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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