Inside The Panthers

Candy Ladies Fueled Pitt DT Calijah Kancey's Position Switch

Pitt Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey got his start in football playing running back.

Stephen Thompson

Candy Ladies Fueled Pitt DT Calijah Kancey's Position Switch
Candy Ladies Fueled Pitt DT Calijah Kancey's Position Switch /
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PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey wasn't always destined to become a dominating defensive tackle in the NFL. When he first got his start playing football, he was actually a running back, he revealed in an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football.

But it was actually his success at running back that made Kancey a candidate to switch over to the defensive line. Long before he was even considering playing in college for Pitt, Kancey was a star rusher for his local youth team in his hometown of Miami, Florida and that came with some rewards. 

"Miss Morgan is a lady who stayed in the same complex as my cousin who housed us for the nights after my games on Saturday," Kancey said. "If I had a good game, I was able to go spend some money with the Candy Lady and get as many snacks as I want."

Turns out Kancey was pretty good at running back, because he ended up spending a lot of time with the Candy Ladies. 

"After my first year of playing football, I spent too much time with the Candy Lady over the break and I had to move to defensive tackle,” Kancey said.

After a fall full of snacking on Skittles, Hot Cheetos, Reeses Cups, Snickers and Honey Buns, he had put on enough weight to make the switch to the defensive line and the rest is history. That switch has paid off for Kancey, who was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a Unanimous All-American this year and is projected to land in the first round of this year's NFL Draft. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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