Israel Abanikanda won’t have an easy path to playing time in the 2024-25 season, but he put together a strong performance in the final New York Jets’ preseason game.
Abanikanda — a 5-foot-10, 215-pound running back from Brooklyn, N.Y. — led the Jets with nine carries for 83 yards and a touchdown — adding one reception for six yards. And his 45-yard touchdown was a legitimate difference maker.
Abanikanda took a handoff from Jets quarterback Adrian Martinez in the second quarter, took off through a hole, spun off contact and raced 45 yards for the eventual game-winning touchdown.
Abanikanda racked up 21 carries for 137 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in the 2024 preseason. He’s behind Jets star Breece Hall and draft pick Braelon Allen in the pecking order, but Abanikanda has performed well in the preseason.
Abanikanda racked up 22 carries for 70 yards, adding 11 receptions for 43 yards, in NFL action last season.
Abanikanda was an All-ACC, All-American running back in 2022, serving as perhaps the best all-purpose weapon in college football, finishing fourth in all-purpose yards (1,805 yards) and second in all-purpose yards per game (164 yards) in college football last season. And he led the nation in total touchdowns (21).
He rushed for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging six yards per attempt and added 146 receiving yards and 228 kickoff return yards. It was a campaign with few historical rivals. It ranks as the eighth-best single-season effort in Pitt history, and his 320 yards and six touchdowns against Virginia Tech broke and tied, respectively, single-game program records.
In his Pitt career, Abanikanda rushed 390 times for 2,177 yards and 28 touchdowns, caught 38 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns and returned 19 kickoffs for 434 yards and a touchdown.
His 28 career touchdowns also rank eighth in team history, while he’s just one of four Pitt players to rush for at least 20 touchdowns in a single season.
Abanikanda appears to be a longshot to make a legitimate impact for the Jets this season, but he’s impressed when given an opportunity in the preseason.
