Georgia Southern · L 3-19
12 tackles
The other 7 games average 7 tackles. This one was 5 above.
Colton Phares
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Played for two head coaches in three seasons at App State. The first one came in 2025: All-Sun Belt. On tape: 13 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against James Madison, Week 8, 2026.
63 tackles · 1.5 sacks
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
63 tackles. 4 passes defended. 2 interceptions. 5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 12 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 55-3vs Maine | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 27-24@ East Carolina | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 26-21vs Charlotte | 6 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 31-41@ NC State | 7 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 3-10vs Old Dominion | 12 | 8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 35-32@ Coastal Carolina | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-31vs James Madison | 13 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 9 | L 3-19@ Georgia Southern | 12 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 63 | 32 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 2 | 4 |
Oct. 31 · L 3-19 at Georgia Southern, play by play
A big game: 12 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 11 of his 12, sacks included.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 5 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
How App State’s defense played that day
A big game: 13 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 interception, 1 pass broken up. His interception ended James Madison’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 12 of his 13, sacks included.
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, tied 24-24. Ended James Madison’s drive (int).
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 2 of his 3, sacks included.
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss on 3rd and 5. Second quarter, tied 0-0.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Forced a fumble. First quarter, tied 0-0.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 7 for him; the box score credits 6.
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 7 for him; the box score credits 6.
No game thread archived for this game yet.
4 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 pass broken up. His interception on 3rd and 11 ended Maine’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
No game thread archived for this game yet.
Intercepted on 3rd and 11. Third quarter, up 31-0. Ended Maine’s drive (int).
Week 8 · 2026
W 34-31
1 interception · 1 tackle for loss · 13 tackles
Edged out James Madison at home in a shootout.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +11 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
63tackles this seasonTFL rate
8%5 TFLSack rate
2%2 sacksPD rate
6%4 pass breakups63 tackles · 5 for loss · 1.5 sacks · 2 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 8.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Road4g | 7.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 6.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 12.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dowell Loggains
Pass share
51.1%
280 pass / 268 run
Plays / game
68.5
8 games
Team sack rate
4.7%
296 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2025
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-Sun Belt
Based on 2025: #2 of 63 Sun Belt LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 49% of returning players who ranked #1–3 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 43–54%).
The No. 2,472 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Sun Belt.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 23 games over three seasons.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SUN BELT · 2ND TEAM
All-Sun Belt 2nd team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Shawn Clark → Dowell Loggains. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
