Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 28-9vs Austin Peay | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-26vs Delaware | 8 | 5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Total | 14 | 7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 1 |
#8
C.J. Heard
Junior safety on Vanderbilt's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 210 lb · Atlanta, GA · Woodward Academy
CFB Index 74 · #78 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to Vanderbilt 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
3★
S recruit
No. 705 nationally · Signed with Florida Atlantic
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 safety on Vanderbilt's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Florida Atlantic in 2024.
Buzz vs Tape
Rivals warmer than fans
The rival fanbase is unexpectedly warm on him relative to his own.
35.4own fans
70rival fans
C.J. Heard
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Chad Lunsford and Clark Lea. The receipt: 8 tackles, 2 sacks against Delaware — Week 2, 2026.
14 TACKLES · 2 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
202411 games
- Signed with Florida Atlantic3-star out of Woodward Academy
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Vanderbilt
Played his entire career under Clark Lea.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Florida Atlantic3-9HC: Chad Lunsford · Run-leaning
2025Vanderbilt10-3HC: Clark Lea · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Vanderbilt2-0HC: Clark Lea · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceAscending
Elite: sacks (97th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (85th 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: 7.0 TKL/g, 1.0 TFL/g, 1.0 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clark Lea
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Starter
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
74 · #78 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #78 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #5 of 28 SEC Ss
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. 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 | Vanderbilt | 14 | 7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 71 | 46 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Florida Atlantic | 74 | 49 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 159 | 102 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 5 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 28–9
vs Austin Peay
6 TOT · 2 SOLO · 1 QB HUR
With T. Ebel — 52 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 59 LONG · B. Berlowitz — 149 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · 45 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Vanderbilt
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Vanderbilt
Returning around him
- 1 Vanderbilt player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (18 in / 20 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Vanderbilt · Last season: 10-3 (AP #13) · Talent rank #42 · 2026 recruiting class #33
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tyler Brown’s 2025 season.
82%match
Matches Tyler on
Class year
Height
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Tevin Tucker's sophomore season at Kent State (2024).
86%match
Matches Tevin on
Class year
PD rate
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like C.J. Heard
The secondary · Vanderbilt
- #8C.J. Heard71 tackles · 2025
- #7Ricardo Jones39 tackles · 2025
- #4Martel Hight35 tackles · 2025
- #1Dontae Carter33 tackles · 2025
- #6Jordan Matthews19 tackles · 2025
18 more on the roster · Vanderbilt team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology