Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-7vs Central Michigan | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 70-7vs Mercyhurst | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
#21
Austin Brawley
Senior safety on New Mexico's 2026 roster.
5′10″ · 180 lb · Massillon, OH
CFB Index 56 · #217 of 538 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to New Mexico 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.
The story
4 safety on New Mexico's 2026 roster.
- Signed with Ohio in 2022.
- Transferred from Ohio to New Mexico in 2025.
Austin Brawley
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Austin Brawley has played for two head coaches across five seasons and two programs. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. The receipt: 4 tackles, 1 TFL against Central Michigan — Week 1, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
20228 games
- Signed with Ohioout of Massillon Washington
20255 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coaches2022–2023
New Mexico
2025–2026era →
Jason Eck
New Mexico
Played under 3 different head coaches: Danny Gonzales, Bronco Mendenhall, and Jason Eck. Multi-era developmental context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Ohio10-4HC: Tim Albin · Balanced
2023Ohio10-3HC: Tim Albin · Run-leaning
2024Ohio11-3HC: Tim Albin · Run-heavy
2025New Mexico9-4HC: Jason Eck · Run-leaning
2026New Mexico2-0HC: Jason Eck · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceAscending
Elite: passes defended (94th percentile). Strength: qb hurries (83rd percentile). 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 2 games: 2.5 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 1.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jason Eck
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.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | New Mexico | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | New Mexico | 25 | 12 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 3 | 3 | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio | 38 | 23 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Ohio | 41 | 15 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | -- |
| 2022 | Ohio | 20 | 9 | 2.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 129 | 61 | 7.5 | 2.0 | 9 | 6 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 70–7
vs Mercyhurst
1 TOT · 1 SOLO
Dominant 63-point win at home against Mercyhurst.
With C. Steinkamp — 59 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 76 LONG · M. Kern — 38 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 39 LONG
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
New Mexico
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · New Mexico
Returning around him
- 1 New Mexico player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +0 net (14 in / 14 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
New Mexico · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #112 · 2026 recruiting class #87
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kajuan Banks’s 2024 season.
Matches Kajuan on
TFL rate
Tackle volume
PD rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Caine Savage's senior season at Nevada (2023).
Matches Caine on
Tackle volume
PD rate
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Austin Brawley
The secondary · New Mexico
- #7Tavian Combs72 tackles · 2025
- #5Frankie Edwards47 tackles · 2025
- #3CJ McBean40 tackles · 2025
- #9Eric McClain26 tackles · 2025
- Austin Brawley25 tackles · 2025
18 more on the roster · New Mexico team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology