Another day, another All-American honor for Calijah Kancey.
Kancey picked up a first-team All-American honor from Sporting News, joining his prior first-team honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, FWAA and AP. With a first-team honor from the AFCA, he would become just the 13th player in team history to earn unanimous honors.
Gibby Welch (1927), Joe Donchess (1929), Warren Heller (1932), Marshall Goldberg (1938), Joe Walton (1956), Mike Ditka (1960), Tony Dorsett (1976), Hugh Green (1979, 1980), Mark May (1980), Bill Fralic (1983, 1984), Larry Fitzgerald (2003) and Aaron Donald (2013) have earned unanimous All-American honors at Pitt.
With 31 tackles (17 solo), 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks this season, Kancey finished second in the ACC in tackles for loss and third in sacks as an interior defensive lineman — despite missing a game and a half.
In his Pitt career, through nearly three seasons, Kancey has recorded 91 tackles (52 solo), 34.5 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
“Calijah has been absolutely outstanding all season long and is highly deserving of this honor,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said in the release. “As both a run stopper and rushing the passer, he has been tremendous. On behalf of our entire program, I want to congratulate Calijah on receiving this award. He has absolutely earned it.”
Kancey earned the ACC Defensive Player of the Year honor this season, was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski and Outland Trophies and College Football Network’s Defensive Tackle of the Year.