Three Panthers find themselves on the Preseason Maxwell Award watch list. The Maxwell award is given to the best player in all of college football for the season. James Conner, Ejuan Price and Jordan Whitehead have been named to the preseason watch list for the prestigious Award. The 3 Pitt players are among 90 on the watch list.

James Conner is looking to return to the level of play that saw him named as the 2014 ACC Player of the Year. Coming off of knee surgery and his triumphant battle with cancer during the 2015 season, Conner looks to make his return one for the books. After rushing for 1765 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2014, he was ruled out of the 2015 season after suffering an MCL tear in weak 1. Following that came the Hodgkins Lymphoma diagnosis and since the announcement that he is free of cancer. James looks to begin where he left off in 2014 after his long battle to get healthy. If all goes as planned, Conner could be among the end of season awards recipients.

Ejuan Price is looking to build on a strong 2015 season after totaling 48 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks. After being named an All-ACC first teamer last season, he could be among the top defensive lineman this year. Price returns to the Panthers in 2016 after being granted a 6th year of eligibility by the NCAA.

Jordan Whitehead burst on to the college football scene in 2015 as a true freshman. He led Pitt in tackles with 109 playing strong safety. Whitehead doubled as a running back for Pitt when he came in and rushed for 2 touchdowns against Notre Dame. He ended the season with 12 carries for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns. His versatility on both sides of the ball has him poised for another strong season to solidify his fast start as a freshman. He is being labeled one of the top up incoming players in the country and has even entered the Heisman discussion due to his impact on both offense and defense.

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