Senior defensive lineman for Pittsburgh. 2025: 2.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 16 tackles.
6′3″ · 250 lb · Youngstown, OH
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 numbers
sacks · 2025
5 TFL · 16 tackles · 3 hurries
Best game: 1 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 tackles, vs Louisville
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman for Pittsburgh. 2025: 2.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 16 tackles.
Blaine Spires
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Four head coaches in six seasons, at three different programs. One game to point at: 5 tackles, 1.5 TFL against West Virginia — Week 3, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
3 programs, one constant: he played.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2020–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Pat Narduzzi.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (85th percentile). Strength: qb hurries (82nd percentile). Concern: passes defended (18th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2025 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Narduzzi
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pittsburgh | 16 | 9 | 5.0 | 2.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Utah State | 8 | 4 | 3.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Utah State | 26 | 12 | 7.5 | 5.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Bowling Green | 17 | 9 | 3.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Bowling Green | 35 | 18 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2020 | Bowling Green | 11 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 113 | 58 | 25.5 | 11.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 13 · 2025
W 42–28
at Georgia Tech
2 TOT · 1 SOLO
Edged out Georgia Tech on the road in a shootout.
With M. Heintschel — 226 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 77.8 · -29 rush yds (10 car) · 1 TD · J. Turner — 201 rush yds (21 car) · 1 TD
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 7 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 61-9vs Duquesne | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 45-17vs Central Michigan | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 24-31@ West Virginia | 5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 5 | L 27-34vs Louisville | 2 | 2 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 42-28@ Georgia Tech | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 7-38vs Miami | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Bowl | L 17-23@ East Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 9 | 5.0 | 2.5 | — | 0 |
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Pittsburgh
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Pittsburgh
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Pittsburgh · Last season: 8-5 (AP #24) · Talent rank #64 · 2026 recruiting class #44
Player DNA
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jasheen Davis’s 2023 season.
Matches Jasheen on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
Player DNA