Tennessee · L 9-42
No tackles.
Hopson has tackles in 7 of Kennesaw State’s 8 games: none against Tennessee.
Baron Hopson
Played for two head coaches at Kennesaw State: Chandler Burks and Jerry Mack. The first one came in 2025: Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. A game that shows it: 12 tackles against Liberty — Week 8, 2026.
58 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kennesaw State | 58 | 22 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Kennesaw State | 139 | 67 | 10.0 | 0.5 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | Kennesaw State | 19 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 216 | 95 | 11.5 | 0.5 | 7 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 9 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 47-0vs West Georgia | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 17-31vs Georgia State | 11 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 14-17@ Arkansas State | 8 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 26-27vs Jacksonville State | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 21-24@ Missouri State | 9 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 6-34vs Liberty | 12 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 44-28@ Middle Tennessee | 9 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 58 | 22 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 28 · W 44-28 at Middle Tennessee, play by play
9 tackles. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
How Kennesaw State’s defense played that day
Middle Tennessee’s 14 drives: 10 stopped (2 takeaways) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 5 of 8. His hurry came with Kennesaw State up 7.
A big game: 12 tackles.
9 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 9, sacks included.
8 tackles.
8 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.
11 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -17 to +8 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
58tackles this seasonTFL rate
3%2 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups58 tackles · 1.5 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 8.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 7.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 10.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jerry Mack
Pass share
51.0%
256 pass / 246 run
Plays / game
62.8
8 games
Team sack rate
3.8%
292 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2025
First team in his league at the position.
Recognition
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-Conference USA
Based on 2025: #3 of 45 Conference USA LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 49% of returning players who ranked #1–3 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 43–54%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 25 games over three seasons.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE USA · 1ST TEAM
All-Conference USA 1st team (2025)
Weekly recognition
1 weekly honor (2025)
Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Brian Bohannon, Chandler Burks, and Jerry Mack. Multi-era developmental context.
