“Who paid Chris Jones to just not even try for the tackle”
Chris Jones
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. The three seasons span two programs and three head coaches: Reed Stringer, Charles Huff and Mike Norvell. The first career honor came in 2025: All-Sun Belt. A game that shows it: 10 tackles against Clemson — Week 9, 2026.
56 tackles · 1.5 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
56 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 4 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Fans first named Chris Jones vs SMU.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Florida State | 56 | 30 | 4.0 | 1.5 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Southern Miss | 132 | 49 | 9.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | Southern Miss | 46 | 25 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 234 | 104 | 16.0 | 6.0 | 3 | 2 |
Last game (Wk 9): 10 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-17vs New Mexico State | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | L 24-27vs No. 19 SMU | 9 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 36-50@ No. 10 Alabama | 6 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 34-7vs Central Arkansas | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 38-7vs Virginia | 6 | 4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 20-44@ Louisville | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 35-43@ No. 3 Miami | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 24-36vs Clemson | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 10 tackles |
| Total | 56 | 30 | 4.0 | 1.5 | — | 0 |
Oct. 31 · L 24-36 vs Clemson, play by play
10 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Florida State’s defense played that day
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 10 for him; the box score credits 9.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 sack. The pressure he forced on 4th and 6 ended Virginia’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 1-yard loss. Third quarter, up 17-7.
Hurried the quarterback on 4th and 6. Fourth quarter, up 31-7. Ended Virginia’s drive (downs).
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 4 for him; the box score credits 3.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback 3 times.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 5 · 2026
W 38-7
vs Virginia
1.5 sacks · 1.5 tackles for loss · 6 tackles
Dominant 31-point win at home against Virginia.
Ratings of the games shown run from -13 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
56tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%4 TFLSack rate
3%2 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups56 tackles · 4 for loss · 1.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 6.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 7.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 6.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 10.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Norvell
Pass share
43.1%
219 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
63.5
8 games
Team sack rate
8.2%
257 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
First team in his league at the position.
The No. 2,350 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the ACC as a junior.
2026 is in progress.
How it ended
Three seasons, at Southern Miss and Florida State, 234 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2025) — drafted at #37 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.
A stat line in 30 games over three seasons.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM
All-Sun Belt 1st team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
4 coachesPlayed for 4 head coaches at 2 schools: Will Hall, Reed Stringer, Charles Huff and Mike Norvell.
Next stop · NFL
Kansas City ChiefsEntering 11th NFL season
Kansas City ChiefsEntering 11th NFL season
