Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-16vs Akron | 7 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-36@ Purdue | 9 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Total | 16 | 11 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 |
#8
Braylon Johnson
Redshirt junior defensive back on Wake Forest's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 185 lb · Richmond, VA · Highland Springs
CFB Index 39 · #376 of 544 safetiesLow confidenceReturning to Wake Forest 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.
Recruiting
4★
CB recruit
No. 333 nationally · Signed with Virginia Tech
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive back on Wake Forest's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Virginia Tech in 2022.
- Transferred from Virginia Tech to Wake Forest in 2025.
How he projects
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Grades highest in speed and zone coverage.
The full scouting readBraylon Johnson
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Braylon Johnson has played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. The receipt: 9 tackles against Purdue — Week 2, 2026.
16 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with Virginia Tech4-star out of St. Frances Academy
202512 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
Wake Forest
Coaching transition mid-career: Dave Clawson → Jake Dickert. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Virginia Tech7-6HC: Brent Pry · Run-leaning
2024Virginia Tech6-7HC: Brent Pry · Run-leaning
2025Wake Forest9-4HC: Jake Dickert · Balanced
2026Wake Forest2-0HC: Jake Dickert · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: solo tackles (92nd percentile). Strength: sacks (87th 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: 8.0 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jake Dickert
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #54 of 75 ACC DBs
How the All-ACC estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wake Forest | 16 | 11 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Wake Forest | 38 | 17 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 4 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Virginia Tech | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Virginia Tech | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 64 | 33 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 5 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–36
at Purdue
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Wake Forest
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Wake Forest
Returning around him
- 2 Wake Forest players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +1 net (24 in / 23 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Wake Forest · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #63 · 2026 recruiting class #39
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Rickey Gibson III’s 2024 season.
87%match
Matches Rickey on
TFL rate
Weight
PD rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Kevin Anderson's senior season at Texas State (2022).
85%match
Matches Kevin on
TFL rate
Tackle volume
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Braylon Johnson
Background
2025 (Redshirt Sophomore) Played all 12 games… Made 41 total tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks and five pass breakups… Finished the year strong with a six tackle, one TFL, two pass breakup game at Duke (11/29) … Also had a strong game against Georgia Tech, not allowing a passing yard and making six ta...
The secondary · Wake Forest
- #5Davaughn Patterson80 tackles · 2025
- #8Braylon Johnson38 tackles · 2025
- #27Travon West31 tackles · 2025
- #2Brian Blades26 tackles · 2025
- #22Myles Turpin24 tackles · 2025
18 more on the roster · Wake Forest team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology