Former linebacker at TCU. 2024: 25 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks.
6′3″ · 245 lb · Haslet, TX
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.
Recruiting
ILB recruit
No. 1103 nationally · Signed with Northwest
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Former linebacker at TCU. 2024: 25 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks.
Cooper McDonald
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Three head coaches in five seasons, at three different programs. The receipt: 4 tackles, 1 sacks against Houston — Week 6, 2024.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Five seasons at TCU, 132 tackles — his college career is complete.
His career
3 programs, one constant: he played.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2020–2024
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Gary Patterson → Sonny Dykes. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (88th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2024 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sonny Dykes
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2024
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #317 at the position.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | TCU | 25 | 11 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | San Diego State | 39 | 20 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | San Diego State | 41 | 26 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Washington | 25 | 18 | 5.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2020 | Washington | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 132 | 76 | 19.5 | 7.5 | 6 | -- | -- |
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 8 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-27@ Stanford | 4 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 45-0vs Long Island University | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 34-35vs UCF | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 42-66@ SMU | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 38-27@ Kansas | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 19-30vs Houston | 4 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 49-28vs Arizona | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 20-13@ Cincinnati | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 11 | 5.0 | 3.0 | — | 1 |
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
25 tackles. 1 passes defended. 0 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.
Player DNA
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Amadeo West’s 2020 season.
Matches Amadeo on
Differs from Amadeo on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Jalil Clemons's graduate season at Southern Miss (2024).
Matches Jalil on
Differs from Jalil on
Player DNA