Pitt, Penn State, WVU players honored as Pro Football Focus All-Americans
Pitt defensive end Rashad Weaver, Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker and West Virginia slot defender Tykee Smith were named first-team selections Monday to the Pro Football Focus All-America Team.
“Weaver finished his season with a 90.0 pass-rush grade and produced multiple pressures in every single game played,” PFF wrote. “And he did this despite facing some extremely stiff competition in the ACC. The Pitt edge defender racked up 20 total pressures in his games against Notre Dame, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Boston College, the four best sets of tackles in the ACC this year.”
Weaver collected 35 tackles, 14 1/2 tackles for loss, 7 1/2 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He led the ACC in average sacks (0.83 per game, 17th nationally) and tackles for loss (1.6 per game, 16th).
Weaver, who missed the 2019 season with a knee injury, is a semifinalist for Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year and the Chuck Bednarik Award, annually presented to the outstanding defensive player by the Maxwell Football Club.
Brisker, a Gateway graduate, is a PFF All-American only two years after leaving Lackawanna Community College.
PFF’s date indicates no FBS safety recorded a better grade while lining up in the box. PFF also determined he displayed the best tackling at the position, missing one of his 60 attempts. He recorded a Power 5-best 85.6 PFF grade.
Smith has been one of the best slot defenders in college football this season, ranking first in PFF coverage grade among all FBS defensive backs with at least 100 snaps.
He was targeted at least three times in all nine starts, but allowed fewer than 30 yards in each game.
In addition, Pitt junior punter Kirk Christodoulou was named a second-team PFF All-American, with a career-high 44.7 yards on 53 punts and only one touchback. He placed 23 inside the 20-yard line and 30 resulted in a fair catch while opponents gained only 83 return yards this season. His net average of 41.94 yards is 12th-best in the country.
He is a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented to the college punter of the year by the Augusta Sports Council.
Also, West Virginia defensive tackle Dante Stills was selected a PFF honorable mention for interior linemen.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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