Eli Blakey

Senior defensive back for Miami (OH). 2025: 2 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, 118 tackles.

DB · Miami (OH) · Sr. · #1

6′2″ · 214 lb · Louisville, KY

CFB Index 91 · #7 of 544 safetiesLow confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamReturning to Miami (OH) for 2026

How he plays

Plays like an extra linebacker near the line.

Tackles: 99th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

interceptions · 2025

8 PBU · 118 tackles · 4.5 TFL

Statement game16 tackles · 0.5 TFLvs UNLV (FBS) · L 38-41

Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 defensive back for Miami (OH). 2025: 2 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, 118 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Miami (OH) in 2021.

His career, year by year

Eli Blakey

DB · Miami (OH) · Sr · #1

Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. He has spent five seasons in the Miami (OH) secondary. All-MAC in 2025 made it two straight seasons on the honors list. One game to point at: 16 tackles, 0.5 TFL against UNLV — Week 4, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
seasons on the roster
recognition record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

5 seasons under Chuck Martin — 40-28 over that span.

2021Miami (OH)7-6HC: Chuck Martin · Balanced

2022Miami (OH)6-7HC: Chuck Martin · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2023Miami (OH)11-3HC: Chuck Martin · Run-heavy, slow tempo

2024Miami (OH)9-5HC: Chuck Martin · Balanced, slow tempo

2025Miami (OH)7-7HC: Chuck Martin · Run-leaning, slow tempo

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

91All-America level #7 of 544?

Medium confidenceSustained Ascent8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: tackles (99th percentile). Strength: solo tackles (99th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Tackles#16 / 2975 · 99th pct

118

Solo tackles#14 / 2975 · 99th pct

Passes defended#45 / 2975 · 98th pct

QB hurries#457 / 2975 · 82nd pct

Tackles for loss#648 / 2975 · 77th pct

4.5

Interceptions#114 / 817 · 75th pct

Sacks#847 / 2975 · 63rd pct

1.0

Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct

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 · 14 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	8.0	0.1	0.0	0.3
Road8g	8.8	0.5	0.1	0.8

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	9.0	0.4	0.0	0.7
Weeks 8+7g	7.9	0.3	0.1	0.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Chuck Martin

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

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

our read the All-Conference 1st team honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #7 of 544 FBS safeties by CFB Index Score.2025 profile

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

91 · #7 of 544 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #7 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix to repeat All-MAC

Based on 2025: #1 of 40 Mid-American DBs

How the All-MAC estimate is computed

49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. 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	Miami (OH)	118	62	4.5	1.0	8	2	--
2024	Miami (OH)	89	46	0.5	0.0	2	1	--
2023	Miami (OH)	46	21	1.5	0.0	1	--	--
2022	Miami (OH)	27	13	0.0	0.0	6	1	--
2021	Miami (OH)	1	1	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		281	143	6.5	1.0	17	4	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 5 · 2025

W 38–0

vs Lindenwood

6 TOT · 3 SOLO

Dominant 38-point win at home against Lindenwood.

With P. Stainton — 47 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 54 LONG · H. Hesson — 208 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 21.5 · 13 rush yds (3 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 14 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 0-17@ Wisconsin	8	6	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 2	L 17-45@ Rutgers	10	4	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	L 38-41vs UNLV	16	10	0.5	0.0	—	1	Season-high 16 tackles
Wk 5	W 38-0vs Lindenwood	6	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	W 25-14@ Northern Illinois	4	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	W 20-7@ Akron	6	3	1.0	0.0	—	3
Wk 8	W 44-30vs Eastern Michigan	3	1	0.0	0.0	1	1
Wk 9	W 26-17vs Western Michigan	11	7	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	L 20-24@ Ohio	5	1	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 12	L 3-24vs Toledo	8	5	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 13	W 37-20@ Buffalo	9	5	1.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 14	W 45-24vs Ball State	4	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 15	L 13-23@ Western Michigan	15	9	1.0	1.0	—	0
Bowl	L 3-18@ Fresno State	13	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Total		118	62	4.5	1.0	2	8

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

14 games

118Tackles

62Solo

4.5TFL

1Sacks

8Pass def.

2INT

118 tackles. 8 passes defended. 2 interceptions. 4.5 TFL.

Week 11 PD
Week 41 PD
Week 73 PD
Week 81 PD · 1 INT
Week 111 PD
Week 121 INT
Week 131 PD
Week 151 sack

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

Miami (OH)

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive back · Miami (OH)

Returning around him

1 Miami (OH) player drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: +2 net (16 in / 14 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Miami (OH) · Last season: 7-7 · Talent rank #86 · 2026 recruiting class #105

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 Hunter Wohler’s 2023 season.

Hunter Wohler

86%match

Wisconsin · 2023

All-Big TenNFL Rd 7

Devin Lafayette

Troy · 2025

All-Sun Belt

83%

Tahj Ra-El

Purdue · 2025

77%

Jonas Sanker

Virginia · 2023

All-ACCNFL Rd 3 · Pk 29

70%

Tra Fluellen

Middle Tennessee · 2022

All-Conference USA

70%

Matches Hunter on

Weight

Tackle volume

TFL rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Tahj Ra-El's graduate season at Purdue (2025).

Tahj Ra-El

81%match

Purdue · 2025

Cody Simon

Ohio State · 2024

All-Big TenNFL Rd 4

76%

Donald Willis

Western Michigan · 2024

All-MAC

76%

Jordan Stringer

Troy · 2025

All-Sun Belt

72%

Maxen Hook

Toledo · 2024

All-MAC

69%

Matches Tahj on

Class year

Weight

TFL rate

Player DNA

Players who play like Eli Blakey

Xavier Nwankpa

Iowa · 2023

84%

Devin Lafayette

Troy · 2025

83%

Antwan Peek Jr.

Cincinnati · 2025

82%

Jaxen Turner

UNLV · 2023

80%

Virdel Edwards II

Hawai'i · 2025

78%

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

Eli Blakey

2021

202412 games

202514 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Box Safety

Players who play like Eli Blakey