Bucknell · W 59-0 · FCS
No tackles.
Georgia Tech · W 34-11
6 tackles
The other 7 games average 8 tackles. This one was 2 below.
Brookins has tackles in 8 of Pittsburgh’s 9 games: none against Bucknell.
Cruce Brookins
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Four seasons in the Pittsburgh secondary to date. On tape: 11 tackles against North Carolina, Week 6, 2026.
61 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
61 tackles. 3 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 1.5 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.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Pittsburgh | 61 | 36 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 3 | -- |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh | 53 | 28 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 35 | 26 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2023 | Pittsburgh | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 151 | 91 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 7 | 4 |
Last game (Wk 9): 1 pass breakup, 6 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-14vs Miami (OH) | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 12-7vs UCF | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 27-13vs Syracuse | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 35-33@ Virginia Tech | 8 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 17-21vs North Carolina | 11 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 7 | L 21-27@ Boston College | 9 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 23-52@ No. 1 Miami | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 34-11vs Georgia Tech | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 61 | 36 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 3 |
Oct. 31 · W 34-11 vs Georgia Tech, play by play
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.
His game this year: coverage — 3 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How Pittsburgh’s defense played that day
Georgia Tech’s 16 drives: 14 stopped (2 takeaways) · 2 scored.
9 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 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.
11 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 6 for him; the box score credits 5.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -4 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
5%3 pass breakupsTackle volume
61tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%2 TFL61 tackles · 1.5 for loss · 3 pass breakups.
4 seasons under Pat Narduzzi — 24-23 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Road3g | 8.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 7.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 7.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Narduzzi
Pass share
49.1%
315 pass / 326 run
Plays / game
71.2
9 games
Team sack rate
2.6%
345 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
61 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #88 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #16 of 75 ACC DBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 32 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Pat Narduzzi.
