About Israel Abanikanda

Israel "Izzy" Adewale Abanikanda (born October 5, 2002) is an American professional football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. Abanikanda set the Pitt single game rushing record of 320 yards in a game against Virginia Tech in Week 6 of 2022, breaking the record of 303 yards set by Tony Dorsett in 1975. In the same game, he tied a school and ACC record of 6 rushing touchdowns in a game.

Early life
Abanikanda attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York. As a senior, he was the Gatorade Football Player of the Year for New York after rushing for 1,350 yards with 20 touchdowns. As he entered his senior season of high school, Abanikanda was ranked a three star recruit and received scholarship offers from seventeen schools. On June 24, 2019, Abanikanda committed to the University of Pittsburgh to play college football.