Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 14-59@ Pittsburgh | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Total | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#8
CJ Young
Junior linebacker for Miami (OH). 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
6′0″ · 215 lb · Strongsville, OH · Strongsville
CFB Index 88 · #13 of 544 safetiesHigh confidenceTransferred Kent State → Miami (OH) 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.
The numbers
8
tackles · 2026
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 8 tackles, at Pittsburgh
His career numbers, season by seasonCJ Young
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. CJ Young has played for three head coaches across three seasons and two programs. 2025 brought the first one: All-MAC. The receipt: 8 tackles against Pittsburgh — Week 1, 2026.
8 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
202511 games
- All-MACsecond
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-MAC · 2ND TEAM
All-MAC 2nd team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Miami (OH)
Played his entire career under Chuck Martin.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Miami (OH)
2025Kent State
2026Miami (OH)
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Kent State0-12HC: Kenni Burns · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Kent State5-7HC: Mark Carney · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2026Miami (OH)1-1HC: Chuck Martin · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceReinvented
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 1 game: 8.0 TKL/g, 0.0 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
Chuck Martin
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
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Miami (OH) | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Kent State | 89 | 42 | 8.0 | 2.5 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Kent State | 34 | 21 | 2.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 131 | 66 | 10.0 | 3.5 | 3 | 1 | -- |
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jalen Thomeson’s 2025 season.
82%match
Matches Jalen on
Tackle volume
Weight
TFL rate
Differs from Jalen on
Class year (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Omar Thornton's sophomore season at Boston College (2025).
83%match
Matches Omar on
Class year
TFL rate
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like CJ Young
Background
At Kent State: Recorded 123 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and an interception over 20 career games with the Flashes Earned second-team All-MAC in 2025 after posting 89 tackles, eight TFL and 2.5 sacks Academic All-MAC in 2024 and 2025 High School: Graduated from Strongsville High School...
The linebacker corps · Miami (OH)
- #8CJ Young89 tackles · 2025
- #15Blayne Myrick84 tackles · 2025
- #3Malcolm Mccain66 tackles · 2025
- #11Brock Uihlein29 tackles · 2025
- #26Eli Coppess17 tackles · 2025
10 more on the roster · Miami (OH) team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology