Dec. 5, 2007

   PITTSBURGH--Four Pitt players have been named to the 2007 All-Big East Football Team selected by the conference's head coaches, while freshman tailback LeSean McCoy was named the Big East's "Rookie of the Year."

   The Panthers had three first-team selections, including junior linebacker Scott McKillop, senior offensive tackle Jeff Otah and McCoy. Senior defensive end Joe Clermond was named to the second team.

   McKillop (Export, Pa./Kiski Area) was a unanimous first-team pick after finishing the regular season as the nation's leading tackler (12.58 tackles/game). He ranks second nationally in solo stops (8.17). After serving as a reserve his first two seasons behind All-America H.B. Blades, McKillop seized the starting Mike linebacker role this year and became the centerpiece of a unit that is seventh nationally in total defense, yielding just 297.67 yards per game.

   McKillop finished with 151 total tackles, perhaps none bigger than his effort to stop West Virginia's Steve Slaton on a 4^th-and-3 situation late in the fourth quarter of Pitt's 13-9 upset of the Mountaineers.

   McCoy becomes the third Pitt player to earn the Big East's Rookie of the Year award, joining receiver Larry Fitzgerald (2002) and linebacker Tom Tumulty (1991). McCoy (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt/Milford Academy [N.Y.]) rushed for a Big East freshman-record 1,328 yards on 276 carries (4.81 avg.), surpassing Terrell Willis' (Rutgers) mark of 1,261 set in 1993.

   McCoy additionally set Pitt freshman records for points (90) and rushing touchdowns (14), surpassing Tony Dorsett's 34-year-old marks (78 points, 13 rushing TDs in 1973). McCoy is the Panthers' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2000 and the first Pitt frosh to reach the milestone since 1988. He averaged 110.67 yards per game this year to rank second in the Big East and 22nd nationally.

   Otah (New Castle, Del./William Penn/Valley Forge Military Academy [Pa.]) helped pave the way for Pitt's first 1,000-yard rusher in seven years. Since transferring from Valley Forge in 2006, he has started every single game the last two seasons (24 consecutive starts) and was named the team's offensive captain this year. Despite being only in his fifth year of organized football, Otah has established himself as a national-caliber offensive tackle with strong pro prospects. He was recently listed No. 11 on Mel Kiper's Top 25 Senior "Big Board."

   Clermond (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain) was named to the All-Big East Team for the second consecutive year. Pitt's defensive captain, he finished the season as the Panthers' leader in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (13). His 53 total tackles tied for fourth. Clermond's 0.875 sacks per game ranks 12th (tied) nationally and third in the Big East.

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