Calijah Kancey was the only member of Pitt’s team to be named to preseason All-American teams, and while he certainly hasn’t disappointed, he’s been joined by a couple of teams in midseason honors.
Kancey has been named to CBS Sports’, PFF’s and The Athletic’s midseason All-American teams, Erick Hallett joins Kancey on the PFF and The Athletic teams and Israel Abanikanda has been named to the PFF team.
Hallett, alongside Florida State’s Jammie Robinson, was named by The Athletic as a first-team midseason All-American.
“The 5-foot-11 free safety has had a nose for the ball, racking up three interceptions, six pass breakups and two tackles for loss,” The Athletic wrote. “According to PFF, he’s allowed just nine receptions on 26 targets for 71 yards.”
Hallett has racked up 23 tackles (15 solo), two tackles for loss, three interceptions, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries this season in his true breakout as Pitt’s field safety.
Kancey was named to the second team alongside Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton, and he’s in the midst of an impact season from the middle of the defense. He’s recorded 21 tackles (11 solo), 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Kancey was named as a second-team defensive lineman by PFF. He’s graded out as Pitt’s highest-ranked defender this season, recording a stellar 90.7 defensive grade.
Hallett was named as a second-team flex defender in the secondary, and he holds Pitt’s second-highest PFF grade with a 82.9 — and an 86.5 coverage grade.
Abanikanda was named as an honorable mention running back, and it’s come on the heels of his true breakout performance — a 320-yard, six-touchdown outing against Virginia Tech two weeks ago.
Of course, with 830 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground this season, racking up 6.4 yards per carry, Abanikanda has been one of the best running backs in the country all season.
Pitt is officially halfway through the season, and the play of Abanikanda, Kancey and Hallett will be crucial in getting back to the ACC title game in December.
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