Temple · W 17-9
5 tackles, 1 for loss
The other 7 games average 7 tackles. This one was 2 below.
DJ Johnson Jr.
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for two head coaches at East Carolina: Mike Houston and Blake Harrell. A game that shows it: 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss against North Carolina Central — Week 4, 2026.
56 tackles · 0.5 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
56 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 5.5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | East Carolina | 56 | 24 | 5.5 | 0.5 | -- |
| 2025 | East Carolina | 60 | 29 | 5.0 | 0.5 | -- |
| 2024 | East Carolina | 28 | 13 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 2023 | East Carolina | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| Career | 145 | 67 | 12.0 | 1.0 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-48@ No. 13 Alabama | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 24-27vs App State | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 20-17@ Old Dominion | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 42-9vs North Carolina Central | 10 | 4 | 2.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 10 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 28-12vs Rice | 8 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 17-30@ UAB | 5 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 34-41@ Memphis | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 17-9vs Temple | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 56 | 24 | 5.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
Oct. 31 · W 17-9 vs Temple, play by play
5 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.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 5 tackles for loss, in the 8 games with play by play.
How East Carolina’s defense played that day
Temple’s 9 drives: 6 stopped (3 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 5 of 6.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 9, sacks included.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 6 for him; the box score credits 5.
8 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.
10 tackles, including 2 more for loss, tied for 8th-most tackles for loss in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 11 for him; the box score credits 10.
No game thread archived for this game yet.
Sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss. Third quarter, up 42-3.
6 tackles. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 7 for him; the box score credits 6.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
No game thread archived for this game yet.
4 tackles.
Week 4 · 2026
W 42-9
0.5 sacks · 2.5 tackles for loss · 10 tackles
Dominant 33-point win at home against North Carolina Central.
Ratings of the games shown run from -15 to +21 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
56tackles this seasonTFL rate
10%6 TFLSack rate
1%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups56 tackles · 5.5 for loss · 0.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 8.0 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 6.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 7.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 7.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Blake Harrell
Pass share
45.5%
245 pass / 294 run
Plays / game
67.4
8 games
Team sack rate
6.1%
277 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
56 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #266 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-AAC
Based on 2025: #38 of 61 American Athletic 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%).
The No. 1,751 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the American Athletic.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 31 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Mike Houston → Blake Harrell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
