Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 16-38@ Wake Forest | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#3
Alex Branch
Redshirt senior defensive back on Akron's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 190 lb · Twinsburg, OH · Twinsburgh HS | Kent State
CFB Index 18 · #329 of 364 cornersLow confidenceReturning to Akron for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
3★
CB recruit
No. 2177 nationally · Signed with Kent State
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive back on Akron's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Kent State in 2021.
Alex Branch
Doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play. Alex Branch has played for three head coaches across six seasons and two programs. The receipt: 3 tackles against Wake Forest — Week 1, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 6 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2021
- Signed with Kent State3-star out of Twinsburg
20259 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
2 coaches2021
Oscar Rodriguez
Akron
Coaching transition mid-career: Oscar Rodriguez → Joe Moorhead. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2021Kent State7-7HC: Sean Lewis · Run-heavy, fast tempo
2022Kent State5-7HC: Sean Lewis · Run-leaning
2023Kent State1-11HC: Kenni Burns · Run-leaning
2024Kent State0-12HC: Kenni Burns · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Akron5-7HC: Joe Moorhead · Balanced
2026Akron1-1HC: Joe Moorhead · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 3.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Joe Moorhead
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
18 · #329 of 364 corners
Three-star recruit. Now #329 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #19 of 21 Mid-American CBs
How the All-MAC estimate is computed
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Akron | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Akron | 33 | 21 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Kent State | 20 | 13 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Kent State | 32 | 18 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 3 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Kent State | 34 | 21 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Kent State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 125 | 75 | 5.5 | 0.5 | 8 | 1 | -- |
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Akron
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Akron
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -3 net (15 in / 18 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Akron · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #121 · 2026 recruiting class #132
DNA match
Player DNA
Cover Corner
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jalen Kimber’s 2024 season.
Matches Jalen on
PD rate
Height
Tackle volume
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Jalen Kimber's graduate season at Penn State (2024).
Matches Jalen on
Class year
Height
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Alex Branch
Background
2025: Appeared in 10 games with six starts… recorded 34 total tackles (22 solo, 12 assisted)… posted 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack… broke up two passes and added one quarterback hurry… forced one fumble… recorded a season-high nine tackles in the season opener against Wyoming (8/28). 2024 (Ke...
The secondary · Akron
- #18DiMarco Johnson53 tackles · 2025
- #20Mehki Flowers42 tackles · 2025
- #3Alex Branch33 tackles · 2025
- #4Justin Anderson31 tackles · 2025
- #13Rodrick Hunter28 tackles · 2025
19 more on the roster · Akron team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology