Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-20vs Toledo | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-7vs Eastern Michigan | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#55
Ben Roberts
Senior defensive lineman on Michigan State's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 325 lb · Lakewood, WA · East (Utah)
Returning to Michigan State for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
0.5 TFL · 4 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 0.5 TFL, 3 tackles, vs Eastern Michigan
His career numbers, season by seasonBen Roberts
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Three head coaches in five seasons, at two different programs. The receipt on tape: 3 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Eastern Michigan, Week 2, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coaches2022–2023
Michigan State
Played under 3 different head coaches: Mel Tucker, Jonathan Smith, and Pat Fitzgerald. Multi-era developmental context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Oregon10-3HC: Dan Lanning · Run-leaning
2023Oregon12-2HC: Dan Lanning · Balanced
2024Michigan State5-7HC: Jonathan Smith · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Michigan State4-8HC: Jonathan Smith · Balanced
2026Michigan State2-0HC: Pat Fitzgerald · Run-heavy, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
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: 2.0 TKL/g, 0.2 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
Pat Fitzgerald
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Michigan State | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Michigan State | 11 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Michigan State | 8 | 6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Oregon | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Oregon | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 28 | 13 | 2.5 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 30–20
vs Toledo
1 TOT · 1 SOLO
With A. Milivojevic — 247 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 87.3 · -5 rush yds (6 car) · C. Mccray — 4 rush yds (1 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Michigan State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Michigan State
Returning around him
- 2 Michigan State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -18 net (28 in / 46 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Michigan State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #61 · 2026 recruiting class #45
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kobe Pepe’s 2024 season.
Matches Kobe on
Hurry rate
Height
Weight
Differs from Kobe on
Class year (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Sio Nofoagatoto'a's senior season at Arizona (2023).
Matches Sio on
Hurry rate
Sack rate
Weight
Differs from Sio on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Ben Roberts
Background
Fifth-year senior defensive lineman and third-year Spartan has played in 26 collegiate games the past three seasons (nine games at Oregon from 2022-23; 10 games at MSU in 2024; seven games at MSU in 2025), with four starts (four in 2025) . . . has recorded 24 career tackles (five at Oregon, 19 at...
The defensive line · Michigan State
- #23Kenny Soares Jr.4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #11Anelu Lafaele2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #96Eli Coenen1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #13Isaac Smith1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #55Ben Roberts0 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Michigan State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology