Washington · W 25-21
No tackles.
Ohio State · W 30-18
9 tackles, 1 for loss
The other 7 games average 5 tackles. This one was 4 above.
Stephens has tackles in 8 of USC’s 9 games: none against Washington.
“Everybody's favorite Trojan Desman Stephens, lol.”
35 stories in the last 60 days, from 22 outlets.
Desman Stephens II
Ranges from hash to hash and finishes the tackle. Third year in the same linebacker corps at USC. A game that shows it: 9 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Ohio State — Week 9, 2026.
45 tackles · 0.5 sacks
Play style
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
45 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 4.5 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.
from 22 outlets
FOX Sports +6 Sep 27 · 7 outlets
Saturday Down South +1Lincoln Riley explains why Desman Stephens was on USC sideline after ejection for hit on Dante MooreSep 27
Sports IllustratedUSC Linebacker Desman Stephens Shares Candid Opinion on Defending OregonSep 24
247SportsHelium Boys Podcast: USC chokes against Oregon, Desman Stephens fallout, best non-Flatliners bounce backsSep 29Sports IllustratedBear Alexander Tells TMZ Sports About Personal Tie to USC’s Desman StephensOct 3from 22 outlets
FOX Sports +6 Sep 27 · 7 outlets
Saturday Down South +1Lincoln Riley explains why Desman Stephens was on USC sideline after ejection for hit on Dante MooreSep 27
Yahoo SportsUSC Trojans discuss what Linebacker Desman Stephens learned as a starterAug 24Sports IllustratedUSC Linebacker Desman Stephens Shares Candid Opinion on Defending OregonSep 24247SportsHelium Boys Podcast: USC chokes against Oregon, Desman Stephens fallout, best non-Flatliners bounce backsSep 29Sports IllustratedBear Alexander Tells TMZ Sports About Personal Tie to USC’s Desman StephensOct 3Sports IllustratedUSC Linebacker Desman Stephens Sees Growth Under New Defensive Coaching StaffAug 5Sports IllustratedWhy Desman Stephens Will Be One of USC Trojans' Most Valuable PlayersAug 22Yahoo Sports
Los Angeles Times +1Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 9 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 42-26vs San José State | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | W 39-0vs Fresno State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 49-30vs Louisiana | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 42-35@ Rutgers | 7 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 27-41vs No. 20 Oregon | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 31-23@ Penn State | 9 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 8 | L 7-24@ Wisconsin | 8 | 6 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 30-18vs No. 2 Ohio State | 9 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 27 | 4.5 | 0.5 | — | 2 |
Oct. 31 · W 30-18 vs Ohio State, play by play
9 tackles, including 1 more for loss. The fumble he forced ended Ohio State’s drive (fumble).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 9, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Third quarter, up 20-9. Ended Ohio State’s drive (fumble).
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, in the 8 games with play by play.
How USC’s defense played that day
Ohio State’s 11 drives: 6 stopped (1 takeaway) · 5 scored. His forced fumble came with USC up 11.
8 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.
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. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
Sacked the quarterback for a 1-yard loss on 3rd and 20. Second quarter, up 17-7.
5 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.
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.
Ratings of the games shown run from -11 to +29 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
45tackles this seasonTFL rate
10%4 TFLSack rate
1%0 sacksPD rate
4%2 pass breakups45 tackles · 4.5 for loss · 0.5 sacks.
3 seasons under Lincoln Riley — 23-12 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 4.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 8.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 8.5 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Pass share
51.8%
310 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
66.6
9 games
Team sack rate
3.6%
338 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #265 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #45 of 72 Big Ten LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 28 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Lincoln Riley.
CBS Sports College Football
