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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 contest, 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. Abbott 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. Redshirt 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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09/17/22 - Phil Jurkovec, rSr/2024, Pittsburgh, 6-5, 243 (DS#31 QB) + More +

Phil Jurkovec completed 25 of 37 passes for 320 yards with two touchdowns to lead Boston College past Maine 38-17 on Saturday night for its first victory of the season. Pat Garwo III had two scoring runs, Jaden Williams added one, and Zay Flowers and George Takacs each had a TD catch for the Eagles (1-2). Flowers' was a 51-yarder. Joe Fagnano went 21 for 43 with 289 yards passing with two TDs and two interceptions for the Black Bears (0-3).

Maine, a heavy underdog, led 10-7 in the opening quarter before BC scored on three of its next four possessions to open a 28-10 halftime edge. Jurkovec's 2-yard TD toss to tight end Takacs in the left corner of the end zone with just over a minute left in the opening quarter gave the Eagles the lead for good. Williams' 9-yard jet sweep for a score capped the ensuing drive and made it 21-10. Garwo scored on a 1-yard run with just over a minute left in the half. Fagnano's 17-yard TD toss to Shawn Bowman gave the Black Bears their three-point edge. - Boston College/AP College Football

(DS#31 QB) rSr/2024

QB Phil Jurkovec, Pittsburgh
News Source: Boston College/AP College Football
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09/13/22 - Carter Warren, rSr/2023, Pittsburgh, 6-6, 311 (DS#14 OT) + More +

TRACKING TOP DRAFT PROSPECTS - WEEK 2: 46. Carter Warren, rSr, OT, Pittsburgh, 6-5, 325, 2,...In a second consecutive wild game, Pitt lost to Tennessee, 34-27, in overtime. Pitt collected 415 total yards, 273 in the air, but quarterback Kedon Slovis was battered in the game and left after a strip sack. He appeared to hit his head and shoulder on the ground. After five sacks in the opener, somebody up front isn't doing the job. We'll check the video.

Previous week, No. 45: Pitt rallied to win the season-opening Backyard Brawl against West Virginia, 38-31, before a crowd of 77,622, largest ever for a sporting event in sports-crazy Pittsburgh. This was a game that had to be seen to be believed. So watch for a replay. Meantime, Warren did well in this wide open game as Pitt gained 384 total yards, 308 passing by one time Southern Cal quarterback Kedon Slovis, despite being sacked five times. - Frank Cooney/NFL Draft Scout

(DS#14 OT) rSr/2023

OT Carter Warren, Pittsburgh
News Source: Frank Cooney/NFL Draft Scout
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09/12/22 - *Israel Abanikanda, Jr/2023, Pittsburgh, 5-10, 216 (DS#7 RB) + More +

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...Gave 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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09/06/22 - M.J. Devonshire, rSr/2024, Pittsburgh, 5-11, 186 (DS#26 CB) + More +

SEPT 6 ACC DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE WEEK: M.J. Devonshire, Pitt, CB, Aliquippa, Pa.,...Produced the winning points in Pitt's 38-31 victory over West Virginia by returning an interception 56 yards for a touchdown with 2:58 left in the game...Second collegiate interception and the first returned for a touchdown...Also broke up two passes. - ACC Football

(DS#26 CB) rSr/2024

CB M.J. Devonshire, Pittsburgh
News Source: ACC Football
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09/05/22 - Carter Warren, rSr/2023, Pittsburgh, 6-6, 311 (DS#14 OT) + More +

TRACKING TOP DRAFT PROSPECTS - WEEK 1: 45. Carter Warren, rSr, OT, Pittsburgh, 6-5, 325,...Pitt rallied to win the season-opening Backyard Brawl against West Virginia, 38-31, before a crowd of 77,622, largest ever for a sporting event in sports-crazy Pittsburgh. This was a game that had to be seen to be believed. So watch for a replay. Meantime, Warren did well in this wide open game as Pitt gained 384 total yards, 308 passing by one time Southern Cal quarterback Kedon Slovis, despite being sacked five times. After the game, Pitt coach ripped ESPN for saying 75 percent of the fans were pulling for West Virginia. On TV, the crowd seemed split. - Frank Cooney/NFL Draft Scout

(DS#14 OT) rSr/2023

OT Carter Warren, Pittsburgh
News Source: Frank Cooney/NFL Draft Scout
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09/02/22 - M.J. Devonshire, rSr/2024, Pittsburgh, 5-11, 186 (DS#26 CB) + More +

MJ Devonshire returned a tipped pass 56 yards for a touchdown with 2:58 remaining and No. 17 Pittsburgh beat West Virginia 38-31 on Thursday night in the return of the Backyard Brawl. The Panthers edged their rivals for the first time since 2008 after a pass by West Virginia's JT Daniels smacked off the hands of Bryce Ford-Wheaton and into the hands of Devonshire, who weaved his way through traffic to give Pitt its second touchdown in 43 seconds to turn a seven-point deficit into a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Mountaineers drove deep into Pitt territory in the final minute and Daniels hit Reese Smith on a fourth-down fling that appeared to bring the ball to the Pitt 1. Briefly anyway. Replays showed the ball skimmed the turf before Smith could bring it in and the crowd of 70,622 - the largest to attend a sporting event in the city's history - erupted.

Southern California transfer Kedon Slovis threw for 308 yards and a touchdown in his debut with the Panthers in the opener for both teams. Rodney Hammond ran for 74 yards and two touchdowns before leaving in the fourth quarter because of a right leg injury that appeared serious. Daniels, looking to revive his career following stints at USC and Georgia, completed 24 of 40 passes for 241 yards with two touchdowns to Ford-Wheaton and the pick that Devonshire turned into Pitt's first victory over its longtime rivals since 2008. - AP College Football

(DS#26 CB) rSr/2024

CB M.J. Devonshire, Pittsburgh
News Source: AP College Football
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08/31/22 - Habakkuk Baldonado, rSr/2023, Pittsburgh, 6-4, 251 (DS#24 DE) + More +

ESPN TOP 100 PRESEASON 2022 CFB PLAYERS (Selected Aug. 17): No. 83. Habakkuk Baldonado, DE, Pitt, Senior. Notable 2021 stat: 41 tackles (25 solo), 9 sacks. Last year's ranking: NR. Coach Pat Narduzzi has recruited and developed strong defensive linemen at Pitt - Baldonado is no exception. Last season, Baldonado had 42 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks (that ranked No. 3 in the ACC). Now consider that Baldonado only played one year of high school football in the United States, moving to Florida in 2017 after playing three years in his native Italy. That makes his rapid development more impressive. - ESPN.com

(DS#24 DE) rSr/2023

DE Habakkuk Baldonado, Pittsburgh
News Source: ESPN.com
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08/29/22 - Phil Jurkovec, rSr/2024, Pittsburgh, 6-5, 243 (DS#31 QB) + More +

First-year offensive coordinator John McNulty has marveled at his thoroughness, meticulousness, and discipline. When he introduces a concept, Phil Jurkovec grasps it immediately. There's never any gray area, McNulty said, and Jurkovec is never going to wing anything or leave out any possible wrinkle. "He's already processed A to G, so to speak, and he's on to H," McNulty said. McNulty said Jurkovec will be a "hugely intriguing" prospect next year if he breaks out like former Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett.

He said he's the old prototypical-size quarterback with new-prototypical skills. "I don't see any reason why he's not in that mix of first-round guys," McNulty said. "There's only so many guys that can do these things." But first, Jurkovec has unfinished business at BC. Shimko talks with him every day, and he's never heard Jurkovec mention the NFL draft. His father, Jim Jurkovec, credits Hafley & Co. for changing the trajectory of his son's journey and helping him regain his mojo. He sees a familiar version of his son that had been absent for too long. "I think it's evident in the people that I speak with that he's a different person," Jim Jurkovec said. "He's happier, he's more content. He's at peace with where he is and who he is." - Boston Globe

(DS#31 QB) rSr/2024

QB Phil Jurkovec, Pittsburgh
News Source: Boston Globe
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08/21/22 - Erick Hallett II, rSr/2023, Pittsburgh, 5-10, 195 (DS#21 FS) + More +

When Erick Hallett II finally decides he has taken this football thing as far as it can go - whether that's five, 10 or 15 years from now - Pitt's senior free safety said he hopes to go to law school in his native Texas. Already holding a bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science (and pursuing another in media and professional communications), Hallett has the confident look of someone who might be comfortable in front of a jury. Some day. Those grand plans of a lifetime must be set aside over the next several months while he concludes his Pitt career.

Asked what type of law he might like to practice, he doesn't even want to think about it. "I can't get into all that. I have to focus on football right now," he said. Safeties coach Cory Sanders said he sees that focus every day. "When he steps foot on this field, you can tell it's football," Sanders said. "He's not bringing any other baggage, anything else from the outside." Not an easy task for young people these days. "It's tough in general for kids today," Sanders said. "There are a lot of distractions in their ears, things going on off the field and social media. We have a lot of guys with the right mindset. "If you come up here as we close (practice), you're going to see over half the team going back to watch film. That says a lot about the team in general and their maturity and where they want to go." So focused on trying to replicate - or improve upon - Pitt's 11-3 record from a year ago, Hallett said he's trying not to relive the past. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

(DS#21 FS) rSr/2023

FS Erick Hallett II, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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08/21/22 - LaVell Wright, rSr/2027, Pittsburgh, 5-11, 222 (DS#67 RB) + More +

With just more than two weeks left until the opener, we still are awaiting word on the status of star running back Chris Rodriguez. The latest update came from UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart over the weekend when he confirmed UK's administration is involved in the decision about when or if Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty to a DUI charge this summer, will play. Kentucky has no shortage of options in the running back room to take on larger roles if Rodriguez misses time, but LaVell Wright looks like the best candidate in that group to emerge as an every down back. The former North Hardin High School star impressed in a brief cameo last season, totaling 118 yards and one touchdown on nine carries in four games while redshirting. "If my name is called, I've just got to go out there and produce," Wright said. "It's nothing too much to it. Whenever they tell me to go out there, I just need to go on and put on a show." - Herald Leader

(DS#67 RB) rSr/2027

RB LaVell Wright, Pittsburgh
News Source: Herald Leader
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08/20/22 - Blaine Spires, rSr/2026, Pittsburgh, 6-3, 250 (DS#178 DE) + More +

Football people are fond of "the grind" as a byword for the sport's laborious churn. Nowhere is that churn more pronounced than in fall camp, as the sweltering August days seem to bleed into one another. Bowling Green's grind, like every team's, is beginning to inch toward a close. The season opener at UCLA looms just over two weeks away. And several Falcons have begun to assert themselves in practice, separating themselves from the rest of the flock at a critical juncture in the run-up to Sept. 3. "The first guy I gotta mention is Blaine Spires," outside linebackers coach Sammy Lawanson said last week. "He's really taken his game to the next level." Spires is a junior from Youngstown entering his third year with Bowling Green. As a freshman in 2020, he recorded 11 total tackles in five games; in 2021 he bumped that total up to 30 total tackles in 10 games.

Along with defensive lineman Karl Brooks, Spires was involved in one of the most critical defensive stops of the 2021 season. Early in the fourth quarter against Ohio, the two players stacked up Bobcats quarterback Armani Rogers in the end zone for a safety. The points proved essential in a 21-10 Falcons win. "He's just an all-around complete player who has really studied to get better this offseason," Lawanson said. "He's put a lot of good work in the weight room, and it's really showing on the field." - Idaho Statesman

(DS#178 DE) rSr/2026

DE Blaine Spires, Pittsburgh
News Source: Idaho Statesman
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08/17/22 - Habakkuk Baldonado, rSr/2023, Pittsburgh, 6-4, 251 (DS#24 DE) + More +

Last week, Pitt earned its best preseason ranking in the USA Today coaches poll since 2010. Now the Associated Press poll has followed suit with its own glowing early appraisal of coach Pat Narduzzi's squad. The Panthers will start the season at No. 17 in the poll. That's down slightly from their high of No. 13 in at the end of last season. But it's still easily their best starting position in more than a decade. Pitt was No. 15 in the preseason poll back in 2010. No. 17 is also the program's highest appearance in the poll in any season other than 2021 since 2010. The Panthers peaked at No. 21 for a spell in 2020 before falling out of the rankings by season's end. Pitt is fourth among ACC teams in the poll, slotting in behind Clemson (No. 4), N.C. State (No. 13) and Coastal division rival Miami (No. 16.) Wake Forest is the other conference team in the rankings at No. 22. - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

(DS#24 DE) rSr/2023

DE Habakkuk Baldonado, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
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08/16/22 - Deslin Alexandre, rSr/2023, Pittsburgh, 6-4, 264 (DS#41 DE) + More +

2022 PRESEASON WUERFFEL TROPHY (COMMUNITY SERVICE) WATCHLIST: Deslin Alexandre, Pittsburgh, Sr., DL,...Alexandre has regularly been among the leaders in community service hours volunteered by all Pitt student-athletes - not just football players. His outreach has included serving food at local homeless shelters, visiting hospitalized veterans, donating his per diem to local youth football teams and raising funds for those in need in his native Haiti. - Pittsburgh Football

(DS#41 DE) rSr/2023

DE Deslin Alexandre, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Football
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08/15/22 - Gavin Bartholomew, Sr/2025, Pittsburgh, 6-5, 246 (DS#16 TE) + More +

As a second-team freshman tight end All-American in 2021, Pitt's Gavin Bartholomew already has his fair share of accolades going into his sophomore season. According to Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi, Bartholomew added another honor to his resume during a team gathering on Thursday night. "Gavin won the cornhole championship last night, so I saw he kicked the heck out of Matt Altzman and Nick Patti. Him and Dylan Bennett," Narduzzi said before Pitt's Friday morning practice. "But on the field, he's done a great job." He may have a knack for cornhole, but Bartholomew's specialty lies in his soft hands and smooth route-running ability as a 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end. Bartholomew caught 28 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman while splitting time with the since-graduated Lucas Krull, who signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent.

Now viewed as the leader of a deep position group that features a pair of transfers in Karter Johnson (TCU, Butler Community College) and Dylan Deveney (Georgia Tech) as well as redshirt junior Kyi Wright, Bartholomew has had no choice but to grow up fast. He seems to be embracing his new role so far, even sporting a nifty mustache for preseason camp. "I watched Lucas [Krull[ very diligently. Everything he did, everything he taught me - I'm just trying to transfer that over to the guys we have now," Bartholomew said. "You've got to bring the juice and the energy and get the guys going." - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

(DS#16 TE) Sr/2025

TE Gavin Bartholomew, Pittsburgh
News Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
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