“I expected our QB play to be a little light losing Sayin, but I guess I didn’t anticipate every other aspect of the game also deteriorating this much.”
Earl Little II
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Played for three head coaches at three programs in four seasons: Nick Saban, Mike Norvell and Ryan Day. One game to point at: 11 tackles against Texas — Week 2, 2026.
43 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
43 tackles. 4 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 1 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.
Fans first named Earl Little II at Texas.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 43 | 19 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4 | -- |
| 2025 | Florida State | 76 | 33 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 4 |
| 2024 | Florida State | 14 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Alabama | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 135 | 62 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 6 | 4 |
Last game (Wk 9): 5 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 56-3vs Ball State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 23-24@ No. 4 Texas | 11 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 59-3vs Kent State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 42-19vs Illinois | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 31-14@ No. 14 Iowa | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 45-16vs Maryland | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | W 19-15@ No. 5 Indiana | 8 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | L 18-30@ USC | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 43 | 19 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 4 |
Oct. 31 · L 18-30 at USC, play by play
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.
His game this year: coverage — 4 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How Ohio State’s defense played that day
USC’s 11 drives: 5 stopped (1 takeaway) · 6 scored. While the game was within a score they held 1 of 5.
8 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 5 for him; the box score credits 4.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 7 for him; the box score credits 6.
2 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
11 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
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 +24 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
9%4 pass breakupsTackle volume
43tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%1 TFL43 tackles · 1 for loss · 4 pass breakups.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road4g | 6.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 5.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Day
Pass share
45.0%
250 pass / 306 run
Plays / game
69.5
8 games
Team sack rate
5.8%
275 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
43 tackles in 8 games, 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 #179 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Played for three programs.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 3 schools: Nick Saban, Mike Norvell and Ryan Day.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Ohio State
