Inside The Panthers

Pitt DL Calijah Kancey Earns Consensus All-American Status

The Pitt Panthers have had four consensus All-Americans in the last three years.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt DL Calijah Kancey Earns Consensus All-American Status
Pitt DL Calijah Kancey Earns Consensus All-American Status /
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PITTSBURGH -- Calijah Kancey has been named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Football Writers Association of America and the Associated Press, making him the eighth Pitt Panther to earn consensus All-American status since the start of the millennium. 

The AP was the latest to bestow such honors on Kancey. He earned first-team honors while Panthers teammate Israel Abanikanda earned third team honors as a running back for his own outstanding season. 

Those three boxes have been checked and there are two more outlets - the Sporting News and American Football Coaches Association - left to name their All-Americans, which they will do later this week. Should Kancey garner first-team honors from those two, he will become just the 15th unanimous All-American in program history. 

Kancey's honors are well-earned. He recorded 31 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 11 games played this season as an often-double-teamed defensive tackle. His average of 1.32 TFLs per game is 16th nationally and the best mark by an interior lineman.

Kancey suffered a shoulder injury in the final home game of the regular season against Duke and missed the finale against Miami. He will not play in the Panthers' bowl game and is all but certain to leave Pitt early to prepare for the NFL draft. 

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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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