Sports

Whitehead garners fourth award watch list selection

Pitt sophomore defensive back Jordan Whitehead earned a spot on his fourth 2016 award watch list Friday, the most of any Panther so far.

Whitehead was named a preseason candidate for the Paul Hornung Award, created in 2010 and presented to college football’s most versatile player. While he plays most of his snaps at safety, Whitehead can line up anywhere on Pitt’s defense, and also showcased his playmaking ability on offense in 2015.

A native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Whitehead led the Panthers with 109 tackles last year, a school record for a true freshman. He also racked up six tackles for loss, six pass breakups, an interception and a 22-yard fumble recovery touchdown against Navy in the Military Bowl.

On the offensive side of the ball, Whitehead ran for 122 yards on only 12 carries last season, an average of 10.2 yards per carry. He had four carries against Notre Dame, rushing for a pair of touchdowns while also leading the team with 11 tackles.

After his explosive debut season, the Central Valley High School product was named ACC Rookie of the Year.

Earlier this month, Whitehead was tabbed as a preseason candidate for the Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Award and Jim Thorpe Award, giving Pitt a total of 14 selections to the watch lists of 10 of college football’s most prestigious awards.

sportsdesk

Share
Published by
sportsdesk

Recent Posts

Op-Ed | An Open Letter to Chancellor Joan Gabel

We, a group of University of Pittsburgh educators, are standing in solidarity with the students…

30 mins ago

‘Reclaim Earth Day’ protest calls for Pitt to divest from fossil fuels

A crowd of about 70 people wearing red and black gathered in Schenley Plaza on…

24 hours ago

Stephany Andrade: The Steve Jobs of education

As the founder of APPLE — not Silicon Valley’s, but the student organization Assisting Philanthropic…

1 day ago

Students hold sit-in protest in support of Palestinians, call on Pitt to divest

A coalition of student groups are staging a sit-in protest in front of the Cathedral…

2 days ago

Chris Matthews: Inspiring language learners at home and abroad

Most people could never imagine themselves going grocery shopping in a foreign country with the…

3 days ago

Amy Flick: An advocate who makes sure her students ‘retain their dignity’

Amy Flick is a professor committed to bridging the gap between science and society. From…

3 days ago