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Pitt Calijah Kancey celebrates a sack on Rhode Island quarterback Kasim Hill in the third quarter, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Acrisure Stadium.
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Pitt's Calijah Kancey draws more Aaron Donald comparisons as Nagurski Trophy finalist

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Pitt's Calijah Kancey draws more Aaron Donald comparisons as Nagurski Trophy finalist

Calijah Kancey joined rarified air Wednesday when he was announced as a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the award for the best defensive player in college football. He joined the likes of major names in college football like Alabama linebacker Will Anderson, USC defensive tackle Tuli Tuipulotu, and Georgia safety Chris Smith.

Since 1993, the only Pitt player to win the award was Aaron Donald in 2013. Kancey, like Donald, is looked at as an undersized defensive tackle with star power. Donald was listed as 6-foot, 285 pounds in his final season with Pitt, similarly to how Kancey is listed as 6-foot, 280 pounds. That’s a lot shorter than most highly rated defensive tackle prospects for the NFL draft. For example, all six of the other defensive tackle prospects on Pro Football Focus’ big board who are projected to be selected in the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL draft are at least 6-foot-3 or taller.

Usually, height is a requirement for defensive tackles to dominate the trenches with longer arms that make it easier to establish leverage and control opposing offensive linemen. But Donald represents one of the few defensive tackles to break that mold, and he has become the only player at his position in NFL history to win three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. His play inspired Kancey to find ways to win despite his lack of height.

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“I wasn’t blessed with height and size,” Kancey said Wednesday after Pitt practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “Aaron Donald paved the way for defensive tackles who are my size. You have to play with good technique. I know I can’t lack on technique or pad level because of my size. But I think it’s an advantage; offensive linemen don’t like smaller, quicker, defensive linemen.”

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Kancey has gotten multiple chances to meet Donald, as the Rams superstar uses Pitt’s facilities to train in the offseason while the Panthers also work out. When Kancey saw Donald in person when he first started training with Pitt in 2019, it caught him off guard how similar they were in size.

“I was surprised,” Kancey said. “I didn’t know we were almost the same size. It was shocking because on TV, he looks a lot bigger.”

And over the past three seasons, Kancey has been able to see Donald work up close.

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“Aaron Donald’s a great guy,” Kancey said. “Didn’t have much time to spend with him because he comes in to work and we’re working at the same time. [You see] his work ethic. He doesn’t want to lose.”

That work ethic is something Kancey has seemed to adopt. Under defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, Kancey has developed several pass rush moves, like the ones we showed in our Tuesday film study, to beat opposing offensive linemen. And that’s where Kancey’s mastery of different techniques stems from, as he looks to study weaknesses of his opponents week to week.

“It all comes with having a plan,” Kancey said. “I know if [his opponent] does one thing, I have a counter. I always have an answer for what an offensive lineman is doing. I just watch film to see what guys get beat with, where they lack, and look to take advantage of that.”

Kancey currently ranks 25th in the country with seven sacks to lead Pitt to a nation-leading 37 team sacks. He’s a little behind the pace of Donald’s 11 sacks in 13 games in 2013, but still in a good position to further improve his draft stock. If he has a strong finish against Duke on Saturday, Miami next week, and a possible bowl game appearance, he could put himself in talks with other projected first-round prospects.

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More recorgnition

Deslin Alexandre also was named as a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award for his work off the field. Consideration from that award stems from his leadership to develop the Fifth Down campaign used to raise money for children in his home country of Haiti. 

Public donations to Alexandre’s Fifth Down campaign can be made here.

 Christopher Carter: ccarter@post-gazette.com and on Twitter @CarterCritiques

First Published: November 16, 2022, 9:48 p.m.

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Pitt's defensive lineman Calijah Kancey (8) waits for a play to start during the first half of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.
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Pitt Calijah Kancey celebrates a sack on Rhode Island quarterback Kasim Hill in the third quarter, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Acrisure Stadium.  (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
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