Three Panthers Named to Preseason All-ACC Football Team
PITTSBURGH—Three Pitt standouts were named to the Preseason All-ACC Football Team revealed this morning on ACC Network’s Packer and Durham.
Junior safety Paris Ford, senior defensive end Patrick Jones II and senior center Jimmy Morrissey were named to the 27-member team selected by a conference media vote.
Ford (Pittsburgh, Pa./Steel Valley), hailed as the Panthers’ most devastating hitter in at least two decades, led Pitt last year in tackles (97) and interceptions (three). A 2019 first-team All-ACC honoree, Ford has been named a preseason All-American by no fewer than three national publications.
Jones (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) earned status as one of the top defensive ends in the ACC and nationally after compiling 43 tackles, 12 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and 18 QB hurries last year. He paced the ACC and ranked sixth in the nation with an average of 0.31 forced fumbles per contest.
Morrissey (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) returns as the premier center in the ACC. A vital figure in Pitt’s transition to a heavier pass offense in 2019, he did not surrender a sack the entire season and also rated as the Panthers’ top run blocker. Morrissey boasts 36 career starts since the 2017 campaign.
Pitt was picked to finish eighth in the 15-team ACC race. The conference will not utilize divisions this fall. Each team will play 10 ACC games and one non-conference contest. The two teams with the highest conference winning percentages earn spots in the ACC Football Championship Game on Dec. 12 or Dec. 19 at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
Pitt will open the 2020 season on Sept. 12 when it hosts Austin Peay at Heinz Field. The game will be a 4 p.m. ACC Network telecast. Radio coverage will be provided by the Pitt Panthers Radio Network led by flagship station 93.7 The Fan.
(This story and information courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Athletics)
