Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 13-41@ Notre Dame | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 36-9vs Western Illinois | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#21
Cairo Skanes
Sophomore safety on Wisconsin's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 195 lb · Asheville, NC · Providence Day
Returning to Wisconsin for 2026
Recruiting
3★
CB recruit
No. 2259 nationally · Signed with Wisconsin
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 safety on Wisconsin's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Wisconsin in 2025.
Cairo Skanes
He has spent two seasons in the Wisconsin secondary. One game to point at: 3 tackles, 1 TFL against Western Illinois — Week 2, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2025
- Signed with Wisconsin3-star out of Providence Day School
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Wisconsin
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Luke Fickell — 5-9 over that span.
2025Wisconsin4-8HC: Luke Fickell · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2026Wisconsin1-1HC: Luke Fickell · Run-leaning, slow 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, 0.5 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
Luke Fickell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 36–9
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Wisconsin
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Wisconsin
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +8 net (33 in / 25 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Wisconsin · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #30 · 2026 recruiting class #78
Background
2025 Season: Played in all 12 games as a true freshman making five tackles on the season … finished with a season-high three tackles vs. Iowa (Oct. 11) … played 80 defensive snaps High School/Personal Tabbed as a three-star recruit by On3.com Registered 83 tackles and 6 INTs as a senior in 2024
The secondary · Wisconsin
- #4Marvin Burks Jr.49 tackles · 2025
- #29Matthew Jung49 tackles · 2025
- #2Javan Robinson42 tackles · 2025
- #11Carson Van Dinter18 tackles · 2025
- #21Cairo Skanes5 tackles · 2025
14 more on the roster · Wisconsin team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology