Mississippi State · W 31-3
6 tackles, 1 for loss
The other 7 games average 4 tackles. This one was 2 above.
Derek Williams Jr.
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Fourth year in the same secondary at Texas. On tape: 9 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Ole Miss, Week 8, 2026.
35 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
35 tackles. 3 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 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.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 1 pass breakup, 6 tackles, 1 tackle 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 | W 59-7vs Texas State | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 24-23vs No. 1 Ohio State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 30-6vs UTSA | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 4 | W 20-17@ No. 14 Tennessee | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 24-27vs Oklahoma | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 24-27vs Florida | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-27vs No. 7 Ole Miss | 9 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 31-3vs Mississippi State | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 35 | 17 | 2.5 | 0.0 | — | 3 |
Oct. 31 · W 31-3 vs Mississippi State, play by play
6 tackles, including 1 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.
His game this year: coverage — 3 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How Texas’s defense played that day
Mississippi State’s 10 drives: 9 stopped · 1 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 3.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 3 for him; the box score credits 2.
4 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.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles, including 2 passes broken up, tied for 4th-most passes broken up in FBS that week.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 8 · 2026
W 34-27
vs Ole Miss
0.5 tackles for loss · 9 tackles · 4 solo tackles
A close one, won by 7 at home.
Ratings of the games shown run from +2 to +29 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
9%3 pass breakupsTackle volume
35tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%2 TFL35 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 3 pass breakups.
4 seasons under Steve Sarkisian — 41-10 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 4.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 7.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Steve Sarkisian
Pass share
43.5%
226 pass / 293 run
Plays / game
64.9
8 games
Team sack rate
9.1%
263 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #260 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 30 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Steve Sarkisian.
In the portal · 2026
In transfer portal
