#44

Cornell Wheeler

Former linebacker at Kansas. 2024: 65 tackles, 5 tackles for loss.

LB · Kansas · Sr. · #44

6′0″ · 230 lb · West Bloomfield, MI

CFB Index 58 · #220 of 571 LBsHigh confidenceKansas 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

ILB recruit

No. 460 nationally · Signed with Michigan

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at Kansas. 2024: 65 tackles, 5 tackles for loss.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Michigan in 2020.
Transferred from Michigan to Kansas in 2021.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at Kansas, 91 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

2020

Signed with Michigan3-star out of West Bloomfield

2021

Entered the portal

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#460 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

1 coach

2021

Lance Leipold

Kansas

2023–2024

Lance Leipold

Kansas

Played his entire career under Lance Leipold.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Kansas12-2HC: Jim Harbaugh · Run-leaning

2023Kansas9-4HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy, slow tempo

2024Kansas5-7HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

58Quality starter #220 of 571?

High confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (93rd percentile). Strength: tackles (89th percentile). Concern: qb hurries (23rd percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Solo tackles#190 / 2892 · 93rd pct

Tackles#310 / 2892 · 89th pct

Passes defended#327 / 2892 · 86th pct

Tackles for loss#571 / 2892 · 78th pct

5.0

Interceptions#314 / 862 · 32nd pct

Sacks#1455 / 2892 · 25th pct

0.0

QB hurries#1536 / 2892 · 23rd 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

2024 season · 10 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	6.8	0.4	0.0	0.6
Road5g	6.2	0.6	0.0	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-74g	6.2	0.8	0.0	0.8
Weeks 8+6g	6.7	0.3	0.0	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Lance Leipold

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

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

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

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

58 · #220 of 571 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #220 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Kansas	65	41	5.0	0.0	4	1	--
2023	Kansas	25	15	4.0	1.0	--	1	--
2021	Michigan	1	--	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		91	56	9.0	1.0	4	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 12 · 2024

W 17–13

at BYU

1 PD · 2 SOLO · 2 TOT

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 4 on the road.

With J. Daniels — 169 yds · 0 TD · 1 INT · QBR 63.0 · 15 rush yds (10 car) · D. Greaves — 41 AVG · 47 LONG · 3 NO

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 48-3vs Lindenwood	5	5	0.0	—	2
Wk 2	L 17-23@ Illinois	8	5	3.0	—	0	3.0 TFL
Wk 3	L 20-23vs UNLV	7	6	0.0	—	1
Wk 4	L 28-32@ West Virginia	5	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	W 42-14vs Houston	4	4	0.0	1	0
Wk 9	L 27-29@ Kansas State	6	4	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	W 45-36vs Iowa State	9	1	1.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 17-13@ BYU	2	2	0.0	—	1
Wk 13	W 37-21vs Colorado	9	3	1.0	—	0
Wk 14	L 17-45@ Baylor	10	8	0.0	—	0	Season-high 10 tackles
Total		65	41	5.0	1	4

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

Cornell Wheeler

2020

2021

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Coverage 'Backer

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