8 stories in the last 60 days, from 6 outlets.
Anthony Palano
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for two head coaches across two seasons and two programs. A game that shows it: 13 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Cincinnati — Week 1, 2026.
69 tackles · 1.5 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
69 tackles. 1 pass defended. 2 interceptions. 7.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 6 outlets
Boston College Football's Anthony Palano Tabbed Bronko Nagurski Player of the Week
Yahoo Sports Sep 15 · 1 outlet
Boston College AthleticsAnthony Palano Earns ACC Player of the Week HonorsSep 14Yahoo SportsBoston College Football's Anthony Palano Tabbed Bronko Nagurski Player of the WeekSep 15from 6 outlets
Sports Illustrated +1 Sep 3 · 2 outlets
Boston College AthleticsAnthony Palano Earns ACC Player of the Week HonorsSep 14Yahoo SportsBoston College Football's Anthony Palano Tabbed Bronko Nagurski Player of the WeekSep 15Yahoo SportsSports Illustrated +1Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
Boston College10 stories2026 to nowMost about: awards and watch lists, performance and stat line, win.
Sports Illustrated +1With Cincinnati on Deck, Boston College LB Anthony Palano Concentrated on 'Physical' Defensive IdentitySep 3
Locked OnAnthony Palano and Mason McKenzie must Deliver in crucial Summer Camp for Boston CollegeAug 4
ESPNAnthony Palano picks off Rutgers Scarlet KnightsSep 11Sports IllustratedAnthony Palano Delivers Heroic Second Half for BC After Best Friend Bodie Kahoun’s Scary InjurySep 12Boston College AthleticsAnthony Palano Earns ACC Player of the Week HonorsSep 14
Washington State2 stories2025Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Boston College | 69 | 34 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 | Washington State | 65 | 26 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 134 | 60 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 3 | 2 |
Last game (Wk 9): 9 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 15-34@ Cincinnati | 13 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 28-21vs Rutgers | 9 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 22-16vs Maine | 12 | 7 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 14-21vs Virginia Tech | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | L 16-25@ No. 21 SMU | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 27-21vs Pittsburgh | 8 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 49-27@ Georgia Tech | 9 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 2-47@ Duke | 9 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 69 | 34 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 |
Oct. 31 · L 2-47 at Duke, play by play
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 7 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Boston College’s defense played that day
9 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 9 for him; the box score credits 8.
Sacked the quarterback for a 3-yard loss on 3rd and 9. Second quarter, down 12-7.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 4 for him; the box score credits 3.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 12 tackles, including 2 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 9 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, tied for 2nd-most interceptions in FBS that week. His interception on 4th and 3 ended Rutgers’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 10 for him; the box score credits 9.
Sacked the quarterback for a 11-yard loss on 3rd and 4. Second quarter, up 17-0.
Intercepted on 4th and 3. Fourth quarter, up 20-14. Ended Rutgers’s drive (int).
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, up 28-21. Ended Rutgers’s drive (int).
A big game: 13 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 2 · 2026
W 28-21
vs Rutgers
2 interceptions · 1 sack · 2 tackles for loss
A close one, won by 7 at home.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -5 to +13 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
69tackles this seasonTFL rate
11%8 TFLSack rate
2%2 sacksPD rate
1%1 pass breakups69 tackles · 7.5 for loss · 1.5 sacks · 2 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 8.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 8.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 8.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 9.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bill O'Brien
Pass share
42.3%
212 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
62.6
8 games
Team sack rate
9.1%
253 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
69 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Jimmy Rogers and Bill O'Brien.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Boston College
