Colorado State · W 31-14
7 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack
The other 7 games average 5 tackles. This one was 2 above.
David Kabongo
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Played for three head coaches across three seasons and two programs. On tape: 8 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against Texas State, Week 8, 2026.
42 tackles · 1 sack
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
42 tackles. 2 passes defended. 1 interception. 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.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Utah State | 42 | 17 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | Oklahoma State | 12 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Oklahoma State | 20 | 17 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 74 | 40 | 8.5 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 1 pass breakup, 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
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 | L 17-29vs Idaho State | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 14-16@ No. 19 Washington | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 0-33@ No. 17 Utah | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 21-10vs Troy | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 18-37@ No. 22 Boise State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 17-16vs Washington State | 8 | 0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 17-20@ Texas State | 8 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 31-14vs Colorado State | 7 | 6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 42 | 17 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 31 · W 31-14 vs Colorado State, play by play
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 6 of his 7, sacks included.
Against his own season: tied for his best backfield disruption game of the season so far.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 7 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Utah State’s defense played that day
Colorado State’s 8 drives: 6 stopped (2 takeaways) · 2 scored. His hurry came with Utah State up 7.
8 tackles, including 2 more for loss, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles, including 2 more for loss.
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.
3 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception on 4th and 5 ended Troy’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 1 of his 3, sacks included.
Intercepted on 4th and 5. Fourth quarter, up 21-10. Ended Troy’s drive (int).
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 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.
8 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -14 to +18 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
5%2 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
42tackles this seasonTFL rate
18%8 TFL42 tackles · 7.5 for loss · 1 sack · 2 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 6.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.5 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 7.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bronco Mendenhall
Pass share
49.5%
260 pass / 265 run
Plays / game
65.6
8 games
Team sack rate
7.7%
286 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
42 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #50 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Mike Gundy, Doug Meacham and Bronco Mendenhall.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Utah State
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