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Pitt defensive end Rashad Weaver was honored as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association on Thursday, and as a result, he has become Pitt's 52nd consensus All-American.
The 6’5”, 270-pound edge rusher previously earned first-team honors from CBS, ESPN, Pro Football Focus, the Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America, with Sporting News granting him second-team All-America honors. To earn consensus All-American status, a player must be named a first-team All-American by three of the five major outlets, which include the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association, the Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Weaver’s glut of All-America honors follow a season in which he led Pitt with a career-high 14.5 tackles for losses in addition to coming up with a career-high 7.5 sacks. But on top of producing at an elite level, he rebounded impressively from a torn ACL that ended his 2019 season before it began. And as a result of his outstanding showing in 2020, Weaver has declared for the 2021 NFL draft and will soon take part in the Senior Bowl and NFL combine in hopes of boosting his draft stock.
With the first-team All-America nod from the AFCA, Weaver becomes Pitt’s first consensus All-American since Pitt return man Quadree Henderson in 2016. However, with Sporting News placing him on its second team, Weaver will not be able to earn unanimous All-American status, as he will not finish with five first-team nods from the five major outlets.