D.J. Sanders: LB · Middle Tennessee · #31.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
D.J. Sanders
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Rated a two-star prospect, with four seasons of snaps at Middle Tennessee since. On tape: 15 tackles against Florida Atlantic, Week 5, 2017.
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
88 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 7.5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Middle Tennessee | 88 | 48 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 2 | -- |
| 2016 | Middle Tennessee | 66 | 43 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 9 | 2 |
| 2015 | Middle Tennessee | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| 2014 | Middle Tennessee | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Career | 154 | 91 | 12.0 | 8.5 | 11 | 4 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2017 season · 13 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 6-28vs Vanderbilt | 5 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 30-23@ Syracuse | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 3-34@ Minnesota | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 24-13vs Bowling Green | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | L 20-38@ Florida Atlantic | 15 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 15 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 37-17vs Florida International | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 23-25@ UAB | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 10-38vs Marshall | 7 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 30-3vs UTEP | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 11 | W 35-21@ Charlotte | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 38-41@ Western Kentucky | 10 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 41-10vs Old Dominion | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | W 35-30vs Arkansas State | 10 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 88 | 48 | 7.5 | 3.5 | — | 2 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
88tackles this seasonTFL rate
9%8 TFLSack rate
4%4 sacksPD rate
2%2 pass breakups88 tackles · 7.5 for loss · 3.5 sacks.
4 seasons under Rick Stockstill — 28-23 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2017 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 5.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Road6g | 7.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-78g | 7.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 6.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rick Stockstill
Pass share
52.7%
473 pass / 424 run
Plays / game
69.0
13 games
Team sack rate
4.7%
511 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2017
88 tackles in 13 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
How it ended
Four seasons at Middle Tennessee, 154 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Coaching lineage · 2014–2017
1 coachPlayed every college season under Rick Stockstill.
