BuccaneersFan.com • Player Spotlight • Tampa Bay No. 8
Current official portrait: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Inside linebacker • Fourth NFL season
A linebacker shaped by preparation
SirVocea Levitticus Dennis
- Born
- March 9, 2000
- Birth state
- Georgia
- Hometown
- Syracuse, New York
- Listed size
- 6 feet • 230 pounds
- High school
- Christian Brothers Academy • Syracuse
- Prep school
- The Peddie School, New Jersey • 2018–2019
- College
- University of Pittsburgh • 2019–2022
- Draft
- April 29, 2023 • Round 5 • No. 153 overall
- Current role
- Reserve inside linebacker behind Josiah Trotter
Profile sources: Buccaneers roster, Pitt biography and draft background. Current assignment follows the November 3 depth chart; Syracuse is his hometown.
Sources: draft announcement, Pitt honors and the college records below. NFL figures stop after November 1, 2026 (Week 8), checked November 3.
SirVocea Dennis learned football from more than one viewpoint. He played quarterback and defensive back at Christian Brothers Academy, moved to linebacker at prep school and developed into an All-ACC defender at Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay saw a player whose instincts and understanding of the game fit its defense. His early positions; the Bucs’ evaluation.
That background gives the Krewe something to watch before a tackle reaches the stat sheet: where a linebacker lines up, what he recognizes and how quickly he responds. Dennis’s story includes a memorable college interception, lessons from Lavonte David and the continuing work of being ready for his next assignment.
Syracuse → Peddie → Pitt → Tampa Bay
Finding his position and growing into it
2018–2019 A year at Peddie.
Dennis spent a postgraduate year at The Peddie School under coach Christopher Malleo. He earned Mid-Atlantic Prep League Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-MAPL recognition, along with the school’s Maurice P. Shuman Football Award. The move gave his developing linebacker career a new setting. Pitt’s incoming-player biography.
2019–2022 A Panther chosen to lead.
Four seasons at Pitt brought increasing responsibility. In August 2022, his teammates elected him a team captain, joining Deslin Alexandre, Kedon Slovis and Carter Warren. That vote offers a concrete measure of how the people sharing his practices and games viewed him. The captain announcement.
2023 A familiar teammate in Tampa.
The Bucs selected Dennis in the fifth round after choosing his Pitt teammate Calijah Kancey in the first. Dennis signed his rookie contract on June 8. Personnel executive Mike Biehl highlighted his instincts, range and football intelligence when explaining the selection. The draft-day assessment; the signing record.
October 23, 2021 • Pitt vs. Clemson
A shovel pass became a 50-yard touchdown
A college moment to remember
50
YARD INTERCEPTION RETURN
Third-quarter touchdown.
Pitt’s lead grew to 21–7.
PITT 27 • CLEMSON 17
Dennis intercepted a D.J. Uiagalelei shovel pass while blitzing and took it back 50 yards. The touchdown helped Pitt take control of a game it went on to win by ten points. Pitt’s game review.
For fans getting to know No. 8, the play is a vivid introduction: pressure on the quarterback became a takeaway and then a score. It remains part of his college record, separate from his NFL interception totals.
Film study, recovery and changing responsibilities
Learning from Lavonte David’s example
During 2024 training camp, Dennis described studying David’s film across different stages of his career. Having the veteran in the linebacker room also meant he could ask what David had recognized on a particular play. It was a specific way to turn watching a great player into practical learning. The club’s mentorship feature.
A shoulder problem interrupted Dennis’s second season, and Tampa Bay placed him on injured reserve on October 1, 2024. The club’s following-summer account documented surgery and his return to work at MIKE linebacker, where he practiced communicating calls and organizing the defense. The roster move; his 2025 return.
His first NFL start came in the 2025 season opener at Atlanta. Later that season, he recorded his first NFL interception at Buffalo in Week 11, adding a takeaway to a year in which he started all 16 of his appearances. The club’s 2025 record.
His assignment has since changed. The November 3, 2026 depth chart lists Dennis behind Josiah Trotter at inside linebacker, with Alex Anzalone in the other starting spot. The experience of learning, calling a defense and contributing in different roles remains part of his preparation. Current official depth chart.
NFL regular season • 2023–2026
His Buccaneers record through Week 8
The season rows trace Dennis’s rookie contributions, an injury-shortened 2024, a larger starting role in 2025 and his current season. The 2026 line is a partial-season snapshot.
| Season | Team | G | GS | Tackles | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Tampa Bay | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | Tampa Bay | 4 | 0 | 22 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Tampa Bay | 16 | 16 | 101 | 3.0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2026 — through Week 8 | Tampa Bay | 7 | 1 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career through 2026 W8 | Tampa Bay | 40 | 17 | 148 | 4.0 | 1 | 6 |
G = games played; GS = games started; INT = interceptions; PD = passes defensed. The tackle figures use combined totals; the source note explains the selected figures.
Statistical note, November 3: Combined tackles follow the club’s annual summary and its 2024, 2025 and current team totals. Those season rows add to 148 career tackles; the separate career feed reports 137. The 2026 table uses the game log’s 12 tackles through November 1, including two at Carolina; the opponent split lists one there. Appearances and starts have been checked separately.
2026 game-by-game participation • through Week 8
| Week | Date | Opponent | Tampa Bay result | G | GS | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep. 13 | @ Cincinnati | L 27–33 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Week 2 | Sep. 20 | Cleveland | L 19–23 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Week 3 | Sep. 27 | Minnesota | L 16–23 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Week 4 | Oct. 4 | Green Bay | L 14–17 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Week 5 | Oct. 8 | @ Dallas | W 24–16 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Week 6 | Oct. 18 | Pittsburgh | L 19–26 (OT) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Week 7 | Oct. 25 | @ Carolina | W 43–13 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Week 8 | Nov. 1 | Atlanta | W 16–0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Through Week 8 | 2026 | 7 appearances | 3–5 team record | 7 | 1 | 12 |
Scores show Tampa Bay first; @ means an away game and OT means overtime. Participation is shown separately from tackles: an appearance can include no recorded tackle. The dash marks Dallas, when Dennis was inactive. Tables scroll horizontally on small screens.
Sources: official game log, opponent participation splits, Minnesota start report and Pittsburgh overtime recap.
2023 NFL season • Games played in January 2024
A rookie’s first playoff experience
Dennis appeared in Tampa Bay’s Wild Card victory over Philadelphia and its Divisional Round game at Detroit. The gamebooks show special-teams work alongside a small number of defensive snaps. Both appearances belong to the 2023 NFL season. Philadelphia gamebook; Detroit gamebook.
He was credited with one assisted special-teams tackle against Philadelphia. The gamebooks record no defensive tackles in either appearance.
NFL playoff participation • actual appearances
| NFL season | Game date | Round / opponent | Tampa Bay result | G | Defensive snaps | Special-teams snaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jan. 15, 2024 | Wild Card / Philadelphia | W 32–9 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
| 2023 | Jan. 21, 2024 | Divisional / @ Detroit | L 23–31 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| Playoff career | Through 2025 season | 2 games | 1–1 | 2 | 3 | 37 |
Postseason appearances are separate from regular-season totals. The gamebooks label their snap counts unofficial. Dennis remained on injured reserve for the 2024 postseason; Tampa Bay did not qualify in 2025. The 2026 postseason had not begun at this update.
Pittsburgh Panthers • 2019–2022
Four seasons of production and recognition
Dennis’s completed Pitt record includes 43 appearances, 239 tackles and 15 sacks. His All-ACC recognition progressed from third team in 2020 to second team in 2021 and first team in 2022. As a senior, he recorded seven sacks and 94 tackles. The school’s season accounts.
Pitt season-by-season statistics • including bowl appearances
| Season | G | GS | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 10 | 2 | 57 | 14.5 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 13 | 13 | 87 | 10.0 | 4.0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 94 | 12.0 | 7.0 | 1 |
| Pitt career | 43 | 27 | 239 | 36.5 | 15.0 | 2 |
TFL = tackles for loss. College figures include bowl participation. These are separate from the NFL statistics above.
Source note, November 3: Pitt’s 2021 cumulative statistics split Dennis into two name variants. The rows are combined here, including six tackles and 0.5 TFL in the Peach Bowl. This gives 36.5 career TFL, including the bowl contribution.
Studies and leadership
Dennis studied law, criminal justice and society and earned a place on the 2021 All-ACC Academic Football Team, announced in January 2022. His high-school record also included National Honor Society membership, basketball and lacrosse. Those experiences add context to the player elected a Pitt captain the following season. The academic honor; his earlier background.
Family service • Giving time • Supporting a cause
A public role beyond the field
The Bucs’ draft profile describes Dennis growing up in a military family and identifies his father, SirVantis, as a Purple Heart recipient. It is one part of the family background he brought with him from school to the NFL. The team’s background feature.
A visit with the Rookie Club
On December 12, 2023, Dennis joined teammates for a Rookie Club visit to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. The club’s photographs identify him among the visiting players, documenting an early opportunity to spend time in the community as a Buccaneer. The official visit gallery.
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Dennis selected the Muscular Dystrophy Association for 2025 My Cause My Cleats. Both the club and the organization listed his participation in the campaign, which supported awareness of neuromuscular diseases and the families living with them. The Bucs’ cause list; MDA’s announcement.
Watch the first few steps
Keep No. 8 in view
Dennis’s route from quarterback and defensive back to NFL linebacker gives his story a useful thread: learning what an offense is trying to do. For the Krewe, that makes his positioning and reactions part of the interest whenever he takes the field.
Sources & statistical notes
Updated November 3, 2026. NFL figures stop after November 1, Week 8. NFL postseason and completed college records are shown separately.
- Profile and NFL record: Buccaneers biography, game log and current depth chart.
- Football development: draft evaluation, David’s mentorship and 2025 return.
- Pitt records: biography and official cumulative statistics for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
- Community: hospital visit and 2025 My Cause My Cleats.