#15

Edrees Farooq

Junior defensive back for Tennessee. 2025: 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 76 tackles.

DB · Tennessee · Jr. · #15

6′0″ · 202 lb · Columbia, MD · St. Frances Academy

CFB Index 68 · #119 of 544 safetiesLow confidenceReturning to Tennessee for 2026

via utsports.com ↗

Next upSat Sep 19 · 7:45 pm ETvs Kennesaw StateNeyland StadiumTennessee by 35.5

How he plays

Plays like an extra linebacker near the line.

Forced fumbles: 97th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

interceptions · 2025

3 PBU · 76 tackles

Best game: 1 INT, 9 tackles, vs Vanderbilt

His career numbers, season by season

The story

3 defensive back for Tennessee. 2025: 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 76 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Tennessee in 2024.

His career, year by year

Edrees Farooq

DB · Tennessee · Jr · #15

Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Second year in the Tennessee secondary, same address the whole way. The receipt: 10 tackles against Oklahoma — Week 10, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
seasons on the roster
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2 seasons under Josh Heupel — 18-8 over that span.

2024Tennessee10-3HC: Josh Heupel · Run-heavy

2025Tennessee8-5HC: Josh Heupel · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

68Quality starter #119 of 544?

Medium confidenceBreakout8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: forced fumbles (97th percentile). Strength: tackles (93rd percentile). Concern: tackles for loss (7th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Forced fumbles#8 / 687 · 97th pct

Tackles#192 / 2975 · 93rd pct

Solo tackles#303 / 2975 · 90th pct

Passes defended#517 / 2975 · 78th pct

Interceptions#114 / 817 · 75th pct

Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct

0.0

QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct

Tackles for loss#2548 / 2975 · 7th pct

0.0

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home8g	5.9	0.0	0.0	0.2
Road5g	5.8	0.0	0.0	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	5.4	0.0	0.0	0.4
Weeks 8+6g	6.3	0.0	0.0	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Josh Heupel

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Impact starter

Tackle volume for the position among the most productive regulars.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

68 · #119 of 544 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #119 at the position.

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-SEC

Based on 2025: #18 of 57 SEC DBs

How the All-SEC estimate is computed

22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Tennessee	76	37	0.0	3	2	1
2024	Tennessee	13	8	1.0	--	--	--
Career		89	45	1.0	3	2	1

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2025

W 72–17

vs East Tennessee State

2 TOT

Dominant 55-point win at home against East Tennessee State.

With J. Aguilar — 288 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 74.4 · J. Merklinger — 118 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 89.8 · 17 rush yds (2 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 45-26vs Syracuse	4	4	—	2
Wk 2	W 72-17vs East Tennessee State	2	0	—	0
Wk 3	L 41-44vs Georgia	8	2	—	0
Wk 4	W 56-24vs UAB	3	2	—	0
Wk 5	W 41-34@ Mississippi State	7	2	—	0
Wk 7	W 34-31vs Arkansas	9	6	—	0
Wk 8	L 20-37@ Alabama	7	3	—	0
Wk 9	W 56-34@ Kentucky	5	2	1	0
Wk 10	L 27-33vs Oklahoma	10	6	—	0	Season-high 10 tackles
Wk 12	W 42-9vs New Mexico State	2	0	—	0
Wk 13	W 31-11@ Florida	5	4	—	0
Wk 14	L 24-45vs Vanderbilt	9	3	1	0
Bowl	L 28-30@ Illinois	5	3	—	1
Total		76	37	2	3

How he plays

Play style

Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

13 games

76Tackles

37Solo

0TFL

0Sacks

3Pass def.

2INT

76 tackles. 3 passes defended. 2 interceptions. 0 TFL.

Week 12 PD
Week 11 PD
Week 91 INT
Week 141 INT

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.

2026 Outlook

Tennessee

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive back · Tennessee

Returning around him

5 Tennessee players drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -8 net (21 in / 29 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Tennessee · Last season: 8-5 (AP #18) · Talent rank #13 · 2026 recruiting class #8

DNA match

Player DNA

Box Safety

Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tamarcus Cooley’s 2025 season.

Tamarcus Cooley

84%match

LSU · 2025

Xavier Smith

UTEP · 2024

81%

Larry Brooks

Tulane · 2022

All-AAC

79%

DJ Burks

App State · 2025

78%

KP Price

Boston College · 2024

77%

Matches Tamarcus on

Class year

PD rate

Weight

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to KJ Bolden's sophomore season at Georgia (2025).

KJ Bolden

83%match

Georgia · 2025

All-SEC

Tevin Tucker

Kent State · 2024

76%

Xavier Smith

UTEP · 2024

76%

Brandon Booker

SMU · 2025

75%

Jamel Johnson

TCU · 2024

All-Big 12

75%

Matches KJ on

Class year

Tackle volume

PD rate

Player DNA

Players who play like Edrees Farooq

Tamarcus Cooley

LSU · 2025

84%

Background

Name is pronounced EE-dreez fuh-RUKE CAREER HONORS 2025 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll 2024 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll CAREER Instinctive, hard-hitting safety who had a breakout sophomore season followed by an excellent spring and is expected to be one of Tennessee’s defensive leaders in 2026 ......

via utsports.com ↗

The secondary · Tennessee

#15Edrees FarooqDB · Jr.76 tackles · 2025
#42DJ BurksDB · Sr.73 tackles · 2025
#1TJ MetcalfDB · Sr.58 tackles · 2025
#4Ty RedmondDB · So.43 tackles · 2025
#6Mar'Quavious MossDB · Sr.41 tackles · 2025

17 more on the roster · Tennessee team page

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

20245 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Impact starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Box Safety

Players who play like Edrees Farooq

Background

The secondary · Tennessee