Tennessee football: Top five non-SEC stars Vols have to face in 2022
Pick Analysis. Pittsburgh Panthers. Calijah Kancey. 1. player. Scouting Report. Defensive lineman. 866
6’0″ 280 pounds
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Was this ever debatable? Calijah Kancey is expected to be an All-American this year. He has continued the tradition at Pitt under Pat Narduzzi of elite defensive linemen, and honestly, he’s doing it a bit earlier than most players do it. As just a redshirt junior entering this year, his potential is through the roof.
Last year, Kancey had an insane 13 tackles for a loss and seven sacks. He also had a forced fumble, a pass deflection and 33 total tackles, 23 of which were solo. That was all while playing in the middle despite being 20 pounds under 300 pounds. Yes, he did come away with a sack against Tennessee football, as Pitt torched them last year.
Everybody talked about Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison, but Kancey was really the catalyst for this team winning the ACC Championship last year. With a bunch of new faces on offense, the defense is the shining part of Pitt’s team this year, and Kancey is the heart of that.
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As a result, Kancey is easily the best non-conference player Tennessee football will face this year. He and Baldonado will make for a brutal front line the Vols have to deal with. Four starters back up front should help UT, and if Hendon Hooker improved his pocket presence, that should also help, but handling both of them will also be extremely tough.