7 Pitt players named to All-ACC teams
The votes are in and Pitt landed six players from its senior class and one sophomore on the All-ACC team, announced Tuesday morning on the ACC Network.
Only Clemson and Notre Dame had more players named (12) while Boston College, Miami and North Carolina also checked in with seven.
Pitt defensive ends Patrick Jones II and Rashad Weaver and return specialist D.J. Turner were selected for the first team.
Second-team honors went to center Jimmy Morrissey, safety Damar Hamlin and kicker Alex Kessman.
Sophomore linebacker SirVocea Dennis is a third-team selection.
Senior guard Bryce Hargrove, freshman wide receiver Jordan Addison and junior punter Kirk Christodoulou were named honorable mention.
The 64-member voting panel, comprised of 49 media members and the ACC’s 15 head coaches, found it hard to ignore Pitt’s defensive ends. Jones and Weaver combined for 16 1/2 quarterback sacks, the highest total by a pair of teammates in the conference (tied for first nationally). Weaver also was named to the 26-man ESPN All-America team after leading the nation with 48 quarterback pressures.
Turner, a last-minute addition to the Pitt roster this summer, compiled 436 combined kick return yards to rank second in the ACC. After joining the team in August as a transfer from Maryland, Turner averaged 8.3 yards per punt return (second in the ACC) and 22.2 on kickoff returns (third).
Morrissey’s name is a familiar one on the All-ACC team, showing up for the third consecutive year. He has allowed only two sacks over the past two seasons.
Hamlin led Pitt in tackles (67) and pass breakups (seven) and contributed two interceptions.
Kessman is Pitt’s all-time leader with 69 field goals. He led the ACC and ranked second nationally with an average of 2.09 per game. Most impressively, he is the most accurate long-distance kicker in NCAA history, connecting on 66.7% (12 of 18) from 50-plus yards for his career.
Dennis tied for team-high honors with 14.5 tackles for loss and was second with 57 total stops. He recorded 4½ TFLs against Boston College, an ACC high for the season.
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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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