BuccaneersFan.com • Player Spotlight • Tampa Bay No. 94
Official team portrait: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Defensive lineman • Fourth NFL season
From Miami to Tampa Bay
Calijah Demetrius Kancey
- Born
- March 1, 2001
- Hometown
- Miami, Florida
- Listed size
- 6 feet • 280 pounds
- High school
- Miami Northwestern • Florida
- College
- University of Pittsburgh • 2019–2022
- Studies
- Administration of justice
- NFL entry
- 2023 Draft • Round 1 • Pick 19
- Current role
- Buccaneers defensive lineman • First on the depth chart, November 3, 2026
Sources: Pitt biography, current Buccaneers profile and measurements, draft announcement and the team depth chart.
See the NFL career tables, Carolina touchdown feature and Pittsburgh record for sources and scope.
Calijah Kancey came to Tampa Bay with a place already secured in Pittsburgh’s football history: unanimous All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. Pitt’s announcement of those honors.
For the Krewe, following No. 94 means watching the middle of the line: how quickly he moves at the snap, how a blocker responds, and where the quarterback can step. His most memorable recent finish also required a good pair of hands and 32 yards of open field.
Miami → Pittsburgh → Tampa Bay
A football education in three cities
Miami Northwestern Learning to win close to home.
Kancey helped the Bulls win consecutive Florida Class 6A state championships and earned first-team all-state recognition. He played for head coach Max Edwards before taking his next step at Pitt. His high-school background.
Pittsburgh, 2019–2022 From one bowl appearance to a full role.
His only appearance in 2019 came in the Quick Lane Bowl, preserving his redshirt. By 2021, he was starting all 14 games for the Panthers. Pitt’s season-by-season biography.
His complete college record includes 37 appearances, 29 starts, 93 tackles and 16 sacks. The original college records.
Tampa Bay, 2023 A first-round place in the defensive front.
The Buccaneers selected Kancey 19th overall on April 27, 2023. The draft announcement.
His 4.67-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine added a measurable glimpse of his speed. Tampa Bay’s draft analysis emphasized the pressure he could create from the interior. The team’s scouting perspective.
October 25, 2026 • Week 7 at Carolina
A loose football, a clean pickup and six points
First NFL defensive touchdown
32
YARDS ON THE FUMBLE RETURN
Recovery at the Carolina 32.
A second-quarter touchdown for No. 94.
TAMPA BAY 43 • CAROLINA 13
When Al-Quadin Muhammad sacked Bryce Young and knocked the ball loose, Kancey collected it at the Carolina 32 and ran it into the end zone. His first NFL defensive touchdown helped Tampa Bay take a 17–0 lead.
Coach Larry Foote explained that Kancey had been assigned to watch for a quarterback scramble. The loose ball turned that assignment into an opportunity, and he completed the play with the pickup and return. The Buccaneers’ breakdown of the touchdown.
Pittsburgh • 2022
A unanimous place among Pitt’s best
All five selectors agreed
Kancey received first-team recognition from all five selectors used by the NCAA: the Associated Press, AFCA, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp. That made him Pitt’s first unanimous All-American since Aaron Donald in 2013. The December 14, 2022 announcement.
A season with national recognition
He also earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors and was a finalist for the Outland and Bronko Nagurski trophies. His final Pitt season produced 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 11 games. The school’s account of his 2022 season.
An early award • Production • A return to the field
The first chapters of his Buccaneers career
A November to remember
Kancey earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November 2023. During Tampa Bay’s four games that month, he recorded two sacks and seven tackles for loss. His TFL total tied fellow Buccaneers rookie Yaya Diaby for the NFL lead over that span. The original award announcement.
Recovery and another opportunity
After leading Tampa Bay with 7.5 sacks in 2024, Kancey suffered a pectoral injury in Week 2 of 2025. He spent 15 weeks on injured reserve before being activated on January 2, 2026, ahead of the season finale. The team’s activation report.
On April 27, 2026, the Buccaneers exercised his contract option for 2027. The dated roster decision.
NFL regular season • 2023–2026
The Buccaneers record through Week 8
Cutoff: November 1, 2026, after Week 8. Kancey has 37 NFL regular-season appearances and 36 starts. Tackles follow the Buccaneers’ media-guide record for completed seasons and the eight official gamebooks for 2026. Some online career feeds display different historical tackle totals. Sources: Buccaneers 2026 media guide, printed p. 155; pass-rush context, printed p. 33; 2026 gamebooks below.
Appearances, tackles and pass rush
| Season | G | GS | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL | SACK | QBH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 7 | 26 | 10 | 4.0 | 12 |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 6 | 28 | 11 | 7.5 | 17 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 2026 (Wk 1–8) | 8 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 |
| NFL career | 37 | 36 | 49 | 15 | 64 | 23 | 11.5 | 32 |
G = games; GS = starts; SOLO = solo tackles; AST = assisted tackles; TOT = total tackles (SOLO + AST); TFL = tackles for loss; SACK = sacks; QBH = quarterback hits. Sacks and tackles for loss overlap with other tackle categories and are not added to TOT.
The career tackle total is 49 solo + 15 assisted = 64. These are regular-season figures; the playoff record appears separately below.
Passes defensed, turnovers and defensive scoring
| Season | PD | INT | FF | FR | FR YDS | FR TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 (Wk 1–8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 1 |
| NFL career | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 1 |
PD = passes defensed; INT = interceptions; FF = forced fumbles; FR = fumble recoveries; FR YDS/FR TD = fumble-return yards/touchdowns. The Week 7 Carolina touchdown was a 32-yard recovery return; Al-Quadin Muhammad forced that fumble. No safety is recorded in these regular seasons.
Sources: Buccaneers 2026 media guide, printed p. 155; the 2026 gamebooks; the Carolina play breakdown.
September 13–November 1, 2026 • Eight starts
This season, game by game
Kancey started each of Tampa Bay’s first eight games. The gamebooks record his participation even on days when no tackle appears in the box score.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TOT | TFL | SACK | QBH | DEF | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-09-13 | @ CIN | L 27–33 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 40 | 7 |
| 2 | 2026-09-20 | vs. CLE | L 19–23 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 37 | 5 |
| 3 | 2026-09-27 | vs. MIN | L 16–23 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 40 | 5 |
| 4 | 2026-10-04 | vs. GB | L 14–17 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 34 | 4 |
| 5 | 2026-10-08 | @ DAL | W 24–16 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 40 | 2 |
| 6 | 2026-10-18 | vs. PIT | L 19–26 (OT) | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 55 | 5 |
| 7 | 2026-10-25 | @ CAR | W 43–13 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
| 8 | 2026-11-01 | vs. ATL | W 16–0 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| Total | 8 starts | — | — | 9 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 308 | 32 |
Each row is an actual start, including the zero-tackle games. DEF = defensive snaps; ST = special-teams snaps. The gamebooks label snap counts unofficial. The eight-game totals are 308 defensive snaps and 32 special-teams snaps. Week 7 also included the 32-yard fumble-return touchdown detailed above.
vs. = home; @ = away; OT = overtime. Results are from Tampa Bay’s perspective. CIN = Cincinnati; CLE = Cleveland; MIN = Minnesota; GB = Green Bay; DAL = Dallas; PIT = Pittsburgh; CAR = Carolina; ATL = Atlanta. These appearances are already included in the 2026 season totals.
Official NFL gamebooks: Week 1: defense / snaps; Week 2: defense / snaps; Week 3: defense / snaps; Week 4: defense / snaps; Week 5: defense / snaps; Week 6: defense / snaps; Week 7: defense / snaps; Week 8: defense / snaps.
January 2024 • January 2025
Three starts on the NFL playoff stage
| Date | Season / Round | Opponent | Result | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL | SACK | QBH | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-15 | 2023 / Wild Card | vs. PHI | W 32–9 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024-01-21 | 2023 / Divisional | @ DET | L 23–31 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025-01-12 | 2024 / Wild Card | vs. WAS | L 20–23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Playoff total | 3 starts | — | — | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 |
Kancey started all three games. The January 2024 games belong to the 2023 season; the January 2025 game belongs to the 2024 season. PHI = Philadelphia; DET = Detroit; WAS = Washington. No interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery or safety was recorded in these playoff appearances. Tampa Bay missed the 2025 playoffs; the 2026 postseason has not yet occurred.
Official gamebooks: 2024-01-15 vs. PHI; 2024-01-21 at DET; 2025-01-12 vs. WAS. Season context: the Buccaneers’ 2025 review.
University of Pittsburgh • 2019–2022
The full Pittsburgh record
Kancey’s complete Pitt record covers 37 games and 29 starts. That includes his lone 2019 appearance in the Quick Lane Bowl during his redshirt year. These are full-season college totals, including conference championship and bowl appearances.
Appearances, starts, tackles and sacks
| Season | G | GS | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL | SACK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2020 | 11 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 7.0 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | 14 | 14 | 23 | 12 | 35 | 13.0 | 7.0 |
| 2022 | 11 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 14.5 | 7.5 |
| Pitt career | 37 | 29 | 52 | 41 | 93 | 34.5 | 16.0 |
The career total is 52 solo + 41 assisted = 93 tackles, with 34.5 tackles for loss and 16.0 sacks. The 2021 row follows Pitt’s original final statistics: 35 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. G, GS, SOLO, AST, TOT, TFL and SACK use the definitions above.
Original university records: 2019 appearance and 2019–2021 career record, player guide p. 55; 2020 final statistics, PDF p. 5; 2021 original final statistics, prospectus PDF p. 68; 2022 final statistics, PDF p. 5.
Pass breakups, quarterback hurries and turnovers
| Season | PBU | QB HUR | INT | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pitt career | 3 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
PBU = pass breakups; QB HUR = quarterback hurries; INT = interceptions; FF = forced fumbles; FR = fumble recoveries. College quarterback hurries and NFL quarterback hits are different statistics and are not combined. No safety or blocked kick appears in his Pitt career record.
Original university records: 2019 appearance and 2019–2021 career record, player guide p. 55; 2020 final statistics, PDF p. 5; 2021 original final statistics, prospectus PDF p. 68; 2022 final statistics, PDF p. 5.
Two actual bowl appearances
| Date | Bowl | Opponent | Result | GS | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL | SACK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-12-26 | Quick Lane Bowl | Eastern Michigan | W 34–30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2021-12-30 | Peach Bowl | Michigan State | L 21–31 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Bowl total | 2 appearances | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Both appearances are already included in the annual college tables. GS = start (1) or reserve appearance (0). Kancey played in the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl without recording a tackle; a zero is an actual statistical line. He started the 2021 Peach Bowl and had one assisted tackle. Results are from Pittsburgh’s perspective.
Pitt’s biography reports that an injury kept him out of the 2022 Miami finale and Sun Bowl. His 2021 ACC Championship Game appearance is included in the annual record and is not a bowl game.
Original bowl box scores: Quick Lane Bowl (2019-12-26); Peach Bowl (2021-12-30). Injury context: Pitt’s final biography. Conference title game: Pittsburgh vs. Wake Forest, December 4, 2021.
Studies • Tampa Bay • Miami
The student and the communities behind the jersey
Administration of justice His field of study at Pitt.
Pittsburgh lists Kancey’s major as administration of justice. His time with the Panthers included that academic work alongside his development on the defensive line. The university biography.
Meeting Tampa Bay A visit to MacDill.
On June 2, 2023, Kancey joined the Buccaneers’ rookie class at MacDill Air Force Base. The visit included a KC-135 Stratotanker tour and time signing autographs for military members and their families. The team’s report and dated photo captions.
Bikes back home A holiday gift in Miami.
In a December 26, 2025 report, Pay Away described Kancey providing 200 bicycles in his hometown of Miami. He spoke about enjoying bike rides with friends as a child and wanting to share that experience with younger people. Pay Away’s holiday report.
Sources & statistical notes
The records behind the spotlight
- Biography and education: Pittsburgh’s official player biography; the current Buccaneers roster profile supplies team measurements and NFL experience.
- NFL statistics: Buccaneers 2026 media guide, printed p. 155; pass-rush context, printed p. 33; 2026 gamebooks below. All eight 2026 games and all three playoff appearances have direct gamebook links beneath their tables. The media-guide tackle series is used consistently; the alternative historical online totals are not mixed into it.
- College statistics: original Pitt player-guide and final-season records, plus the two actual bowl box scores linked above. The 2019 redshirt appearance is included; the 2021 row follows the original university reports. Bowl figures are subsets of the season totals.
- Honors and milestones: Pitt’s December 2022 unanimous All-America announcement; the original November 2023 NFL rookie award report; Buccaneers reporting on his injury return, contract option and October 2026 defensive touchdown.
- Community: the team’s June 2023 MacDill visit report and Pay Away’s December 26, 2025 bicycle-giveaway report. The latter is the publication date; it does not identify an exact event day.
- Portrait: the image supplied on Kancey’s current official Tampa Bay Buccaneers profile.
Updated November 3, 2026. NFL regular-season figures stop after November 1, 2026, Week 8. Preseason is excluded; NFL postseason is reported separately. College season totals include championship and bowl appearances. Historical awards and records are described in their original context.