Donelius Johnson
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. The two seasons span two programs and two head coaches: Chandler Burks and Joe Moorhead. A game that shows it: 16 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Eastern Michigan — Week 6, 2026.
80 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
80 tackles. 0 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Akron Beacon Journal Oct 20Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Akron | 80 | 39 | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| 2024 | Kennesaw State | 89 | 38 | 8.0 | 3.5 |
| Career | 169 | 77 | 12.5 | 3.5 |
Last game (Wk 10): 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 16-38@ Wake Forest | 11 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 45-10vs Robert Morris | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 7-41@ Minnesota | 12 | 8 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 10-38vs UNLV | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 17-41@ Central Michigan | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 23-25vs Eastern Michigan | 16 | 9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 16 tackles |
| Wk 7 | L 14-34@ Miami (OH) | 10 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 20-35@ Kent State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 20-28vs Ohio | 9 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | 39 | 4.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Nov. 3 · L 20-28 vs Ohio, play by play
9 tackles, including 2 more for loss, tied for 2nd-most tackles for loss in FBS that week.
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.
Against his own season: his best backfield disruption game of the season so far.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, in the 9 games with play by play.
How Akron’s defense played that day
Ohio’s 9 drives: 6 stopped (1 takeaway) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 6 of 8.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
10 tackles. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
16 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 17 for him; the box score credits 16.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 12 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.
4 tackles.
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 -21 to +12 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
80tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%4 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups80 tackles · 4.5 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 9.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 8.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 9.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 6.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Joe Moorhead
Pass share
48.8%
294 pass / 309 run
Plays / game
67.0
9 games
Team sack rate
7.3%
343 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
80 tackles in 9 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 22 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
4 coachesPlayed for 4 head coaches at 2 schools: Brian Bohannon, Chandler Burks, Jerry Mack and Joe Moorhead.
In the portal · 2026
In transfer portal
