The expectations continue to mount for H.B. Blades.

Blades, a senior linebacker for the Pitt… The expectations continue to mount for H.B. Blades.

Blades, a senior linebacker for the Pitt football team, was named to Playboy’s All-America Team last week. The defensive leader adds this to an already impressive resume of pre-season accolades. He is the first Panther to be named to this team since receiver Antonio Bryant – who currently plays in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns – was named for the 2001 season.

The honors come on the tail of a season that saw him ranked 13th in the nation with an average of 11 tackles per game. That number was also good enough to lead the Big East, as was his number of total tackles (121).

The Plantation, Fla., native – the son of Bennie Blades, who played for University of Miami and then in the NFL – has already been named to the NationalChamps.net pre-season All-American first team. Should his performance match the expectations that have been set for him this season, he would be the first Panther to garner All-America honors for the year since Larry Fitzgerald made first team in 2003.

Blades is currently on the watch lists for two national awards. He is on the Rotary Lombardi Award list, which honors the top down lineman in the nation. In addition, he is on the Lott Trophy watch list. This honors the top college football player in the nation based not only on his playing ability, but also on academics, community involvement and personal character.

In his three seasons at Pitt, Blades racked up 286 career tackles. He currently ranks 16th all-time, but should gradually climb the list over the course of the season and end his Pitt career in the top five.

He was an All-Big East selection in both of the years he was a starter. In those two years, he accumulated 229 of his tackles.