Standout Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey announced Saturday he will miss the Panthers’ bowl game.
The Atlantic Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year alluded to a health issue in an Instagram post.
Kancey did not play in the Panthers’ 42-16 victory at Miami in the Nov. 26 regular-season finale.
“I left it all on the field in 2022. I was disappointed to not play at Miami, in my hometown. Unfortunately, I will also be out for the bowl game,” Kancey wrote. “But I look forward to helping my teammates prepare. Thanks to the best trainers in the country at Pitt. I know they will help me get back to 100% very soon.”
He collected 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 11 games this season for Pitt (8-4), becoming the first player from the school to earn the ACC’s top defensive honor since Aaron Donald in 2013.
The 6-foot-1, 280-pound junior has not confirmed whether he will enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
The bowl schedule will be released Sunday.
