PITTSBURGH—The pantheon of all-time Pitt football greats grew larger today as defensive tackle Calijah Kancey earned the historic distinction of Unanimous All-American.
Kancey officially received that elite stature when he was named a first team All-American by the Unanimous All-American (AFCA).
The NCAA uses five All-America selectors to determine consensus and unanimous status: Associated Press, AFCA, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Kancey was a first-team selection on each of those five squads, making him the Panthers’ first Unanimous All-American since defensive tackle Aaron Donald in 2013.
In 133 seasons of intercollegiate football, Pitt players have earned Unanimous All-America recognition 15 times. Thirteen total players have achieved this distinction; defensive end Hugh Green (1979-80) and offensive tackle Bill Fralic (1983-84) are the only two-time unanimous selections.
“This is just an incredible honor,” Kancey said. “I want to thank all of the All-America voters who considered me worthy of this recognition. I am so grateful for my Pitt coaches and teammates as well as our support staff. They help make me better every single day, on and off the field. This is just as much their honor as it is mine. I’m so blessed to be able to call myself a Pitt Panther.”
“I’ve run out of superlatives to describe how I feel about Calijah,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He is the best defensive tackle I’ve ever coached, period. He’s a first team All-American as player and, more importantly, as a person. These national honors didn’t happen by accident. He absolutely earned them all and we are so proud of him.”
Kancey’s 2022 season is one of the most decorated in Pitt history.
In addition to his All-America citations, he was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the prestigious Outland Trophy (nation’s top interior lineman) and Bronko Nagurski Trophy (national defensive player of the year).
College Football Network (CFN) named him the National Defensive Tackle of the Year.
The 6-foot, 280-pound junior was one of college football’s most dominant players this year regardless of position. He compiled 31 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 11 games played.
Despite facing an array of blocking schemes designed to slow him down, Kancey (Miami, Fla./Miami Northwestern) averaged 1.32 tackles for loss per game to rank 16th nationally and first among the nation’s interior defenders.
He spearheaded a Pitt defense that leads the country in sacks (3.75 avg.), ranks seventh nationally against the run (95.5 avg.) and ranks 19th in fewest total yards allowed (319.7 avg.).
Injury will prevent Kancey from playing in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl later this month. “I am going to do everything I can to help my teammates prepare and get that ninth win,” he said.
PITT’S ALL-TIME UNANIMOUS ALL-AMERICANS
Year: Name (Position)
1927: Gilbert Welch (Back)
1929: Joe Donchess (End)
1932: Warren Heller (Back)
1938: Marshall Goldberg (Back)
1956: Joe Walton (End)
1960: Mike Ditka (End)
1976: Tony Dorsett (Running Back)
1979: Hugh Green (Defensive End)
1980: Hugh Green (Defensive End)
1980: Mark May (Offensive Tackle)
1983: Bill Fralic (Offensive Tackle)
1984: Bill Fralic (Offensive Tackle)
2003: Larry Fitzgerald (Wide Receiver)
2013: Aaron Donald (Defensive Tackle)
2022: Calijah Kancey (Defensive Tackle)
Credit: E.J. Borghetti/Pitt Athletics/PittPanthers.com
Image: Vince Butts/Urban Media Today