#17

Christopher Eaton Jr.

Senior defensive end for Sam Houston. 2025: 5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 26 tackles.

DE · Sam Houston · Sr. · #17

6′3″ · 250 lb · Brooklyn, NY

CFB Index 63 · #136 of 420 edge rushersMedium confidenceReturning to Sam Houston for 2026

How he plays

Wins the corner before the tackle can set.

Sacks: 96th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

sacks · 2025

9 TFL · 26 tackles · 5 hurries

Statement game5 tackles · 3 TFL · 3 sacksvs Delaware (FBS) · W 26-23

Top 1% tackles for loss game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 defensive end for Sam Houston. 2025: 5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 26 tackles.

Transferred from Hampton to Sam Houston in 2025.

His career, year by year

Christopher Eaton Jr.

DE · Sam Houston · Sr · #17

Wins the corner before the tackle can set. He got to Sam Houston by way of Hampton. The receipt on tape: 3 tackles against Middle Tennessee, Week 13, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
portal record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2025Sam Houston2-10HC: Phil Longo · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

63Quality starter #136 of 420?

Medium confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: sacks (96th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (95th percentile). Concern: passes defended (18th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Sacks#102 / 2975 · 96th pct

5.0

Tackles for loss#142 / 2975 · 95th pct

9.0

QB hurries#188 / 2975 · 92nd pct

Solo tackles#1095 / 2975 · 62nd pct

Tackles#1609 / 2975 · 45th pct

Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th pct

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

2025 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	2.4	1.2	0.8	0.0
Road6g	2.3	0.5	0.2	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	2.0	0.8	0.2	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	2.8	0.8	0.8	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Phil Longo

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

63 · #136 of 420 edge rushers

2026 outlook

In the mix for All-Conference USA

Based on 2025: #4 of 12 Conference USA DEs

How the All-Conference USA 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
2025	Sam Houston	26	19	9.0	5.0	--	--	--
Career		26	19	9.0	5.0	--	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 12 · 2025

W 26–23

vs Delaware

3 TFL · 3 SACKS · 3 SOLO

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 at home.

With C. Gerrand — 43 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 50 LONG · L. Locke — 213 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 26.1 · -14 rush yds (4 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	Note
Wk 1	L 24-41@ Western Kentucky	2	2	1.0	0.0	—
Wk 1	L 21-38vs UNLV	2	2	1.0	0.0	—
Wk 2	L 20-37@ Hawai'i	3	2	1.0	1.0	—
Wk 4	L 0-55@ Texas	2	1	1.0	0.0	—
Wk 6	L 10-37@ New Mexico State	1	1	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 7	L 27-29vs Jacksonville State	2	2	1.0	0.0	—
Wk 8	L 17-35vs UTEP	1	1	1.0	1.0	—
Wk 11	W 21-17@ Oregon State	3	1	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 12	W 26-23vs Delaware	5	3	3.0	3.0	—	Season-high 5 tackles
Wk 13	L 17-31@ Middle Tennessee	3	3	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 14	L 16-56vs Florida International	2	1	0.0	0.0	—
Total		26	19	9.0	5.0	—

How he plays

Play style

Bends the edge and wins with first-step quickness. Lighter frame, relentless motor.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

11 games

26Tackles

19Solo

9TFL

5Sacks

0Pass def.

0INT

26 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 9 TFL.

Week 21 sack
Week 81 sack
Week 123 sacks

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.

2026 Outlook

Sam Houston

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive end · Sam Houston

Returning around him

Transfer portal: +5 net (20 in / 15 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Sam Houston · Last season: 2-10 · Talent rank #117 · 2026 recruiting class #126

DNA match

Player DNA

Speed Rusher

Bends the edge and wins with first-step quickness. Lighter frame, relentless motor.

EDGE

His 2025 production profile sits closest to D'Andre Ragin’s 2021 season.

D'Andre Ragin

82%match

Toledo · 2021

Buddha Peleti

Washington State · 2025

80%

Brock Martin

Oklahoma State · 2021

79%

Joe Evans

Iowa · 2023

All-AAC

79%

Jaheim Lawson

Clemson · 2025

79%

Matches D'Andre on

TFL rate

Weight

Height

Differs from D'Andre on

Class year (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Deandre Johnson's sophomore season at Miami (2021).

Deandre Johnson

84%match

Miami · 2021

KJ Henry

Clemson · 2021

All-ACC

81%

Brock Martin

Oklahoma State · 2021

80%

D'Andre Ragin

Toledo · 2021

77%

Viliami Fehoko

San José State · 2021

All-Mountain WestNFL Rd 4

76%

Matches Deandre on

Class year

Pressure-to-sack conversion

TFL rate

Player DNA

Players who play like Christopher Eaton Jr.

Buddha Peleti

Washington State · 2025

80%

Jaheim Lawson

Clemson · 2025

79%

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

202511 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Speed Rusher

Players who play like Christopher Eaton Jr.