Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 24-45vs UCLA | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 2 | W 21-18@ Syracuse | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
#96
Derek Wilkins
Redshirt senior defensive lineman on California's 2026 roster.
6′5″ · 310 lb · Irvine, CA · Santa Margarita Catholic HS
Returning to California for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
3 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, vs UCLA
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on California's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to California in 2021.
Derek Wilkins
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Derek Wilkins has been at California through two head coaches in five seasons. The receipt on tape: 2 tackles against Syracuse, Week 2, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2021
- Signed with California4-star out of Santa Margarita Catholic
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
California
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Justin Wilcox → Tosh Lupoi. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2021California5-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Balanced
2023California6-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Run-leaning
2024California6-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Balanced
2025California7-6HC: Justin Wilcox · Pass-leaning
2026California1-1HC: Tosh Lupoi · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: passes defended (94th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 splits
Through 2 games: 1.5 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 1.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tosh Lupoi
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | California | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | California | 12 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | California | 12 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | California | 8 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | California | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 37 | 15 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 10 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 21–18
at Syracuse
2 TOT
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.
With A. Davies — 34 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 52 LONG · J. Sagapolutele — 182 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 54.4 · -5 rush yds (2 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
California
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · California
Returning around him
- 1 California player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -4 net (32 in / 36 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
California · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #33 · 2026 recruiting class #56
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kevin Hester Jr.’s 2023 season.
87%match
Matches Kevin on
Sack rate
Weight
Hurry rate
Differs from Kevin on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Asani Redwood's senior season at West Virginia (2025).
73%match
Matches Asani on
Class year
Hurry rate
Weight
Differs from Asani on
Height (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Derek Wilkins
Background
Accolades - Academic 2025 ACC Academic Honor Roll Redshirt Senior (2025) Appeared in all 11 games and made two starts. Made his first collegiate start against Louisville. Started against Stanford in Big Game. Made 12 tackles and added a QB hurry. Had a season-high three tackles against Hawai'i in...
The defensive line · California
- #55BJ Canady1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #96Derek Wilkins0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #94Stanley McKenzie0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #51Jayden Williams0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #44Jericho Johnson0 tackles for loss · 2025
10 more on the roster · California team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology