Daniel Wingate
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Four seasons in the Maryland linebacker corps to date. The first one came in 2025: Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. One game to point at: 12 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Virginia Tech — Week 3, 2026.
49 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
49 tackles. 0 passes defended. 1 interception. 2.5 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.
Fans first named Daniel Wingate vs Virginia Tech.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 4 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 62-0vs Hampton | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-14@ UConn | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 26-35vs Virginia Tech | 12 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 4 | L 3-54vs UCLA | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 23-48@ Nebraska | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 16-45@ No. 5 Ohio State | 10 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 30-37vs Rutgers | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 17-20vs Illinois | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | 21 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
Oct. 31 · L 17-20 vs Illinois, play by play
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 2 tackles for loss, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Maryland’s defense played that day
Illinois’s 11 drives: 7 stopped (1 takeaway) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 7 of 11.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A defensive touchdown: his interception went 52 yards for the score. 10 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 11 for him; the box score credits 10.
Intercepted, returned 52 yards for the score. Third quarter, cut it to 31-16.
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.
7 tackles. The fumble he forced ended UCLA’s drive (fumble).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 6 of his 7, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. First quarter, tied 0-0. Ended UCLA’s drive (fumble).
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
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 -5 to +29 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
49tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%2 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups49 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 1 interception.
4 seasons under Mike Locksley, all pass-leaning offenses — 18-27 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 5.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 7.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 6.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Locksley
Pass share
56.1%
298 pass / 233 run
Plays / game
66.4
8 games
Team sack rate
2.8%
320 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #249 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #19 of 72 Big Ten LBs
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%).
The No. 1,245 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Big Ten.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 37 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Mike Locksley.
