#99

Eric O'Neill

Senior defensive lineman for Rutgers. 2025: 2.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 37 tackles.

DL · Rutgers · Sr. · #99

6′3″ · 261 lb · Staten Island, NY

CFB Index 63 · #135 of 420 edge rushersLow confidenceReturning to Rutgers for 2026

How he plays

Disrupts the pocket from the interior.

QB hurries: 99th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

2.5

sacks · 2025

10 TFL · 37 tackles · 10 hurries

Best game: 1 sacks, 2 TFL, 4 tackles, vs Iowa

Statement game13 tackles · 3.5 TFL · 1 sackat Ohio (FBS) · L 10-27

Top 1% tackles for loss game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 defensive lineman for Rutgers. 2025: 2.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 37 tackles.

Transferred from James Madison to Rutgers in 2025.

His career, year by year

Eric O'Neill

DL · Rutgers · Sr · #99

Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Across two seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Bob Chesney and Greg Schiano. His first career honor landed in 2024: All-Sun Belt. The receipt on tape: 10 tackles, 2 TFL against Maryland, Week 11, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
recognition record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2024James Madison9-4HC: Bob Chesney · Run-leaning

2025Rutgers5-7HC: Greg Schiano · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

63Quality starter #135 of 420?

Medium confidenceFading6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (99th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (96th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

QB hurries#19 / 2975 · 99th pct

Tackles for loss#103 / 2975 · 96th pct

10.0

Sacks#389 / 2975 · 85th pct

2.5

Tackles#1007 / 2975 · 65th pct

Solo tackles#1348 / 2975 · 53rd pct

Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th 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 · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	4.1	1.1	0.2	0.0
Road5g	1.6	0.4	0.2	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	2.5	0.8	0.2	0.0
Weeks 8+6g	3.7	0.8	0.2	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Greg Schiano

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

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Starter

Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

63 · #135 of 420 edge rushers

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-Big Ten

Based on 2025: #25 of 69 Big Ten DLs

How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed

15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. 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	Rutgers	37	16	10.0	2.5	1	--	--
2024	James Madison	53	22	18.0	13.0	3	1	--
Career		90	38	28.0	15.5	4	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2025

W 60–10

vs Norfolk State

5 TOT · 1 SOLO · 0 SACKS

Dominant 50-point win at home against Norfolk State.

With A. Kaliakmanis — 309 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 37.2 · 4 rush yds (4 car) · J. Benjamin — 68 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 34-31vs Ohio	3	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 45-17vs Miami (OH)	3	0	0.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	W 60-10vs Norfolk State	5	1	2.5	0.5	—	0	2.5 TFL
Wk 4	L 28-38vs Iowa	4	3	2.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 5	L 28-31@ Minnesota	0	0	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	L 19-38@ Washington	0	0	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	L 10-56vs Oregon	1	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 27-24@ Purdue	3	0	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	L 13-35@ Illinois	3	1	1.0	1.0	—	1
Wk 11	W 35-20vs Maryland	10	7	2.0	0.0	—	0	Season-high 10 tackles
Wk 13	L 9-42@ Ohio State	2	0	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	L 36-40vs Penn State	3	2	1.0	0.0	—	0
Total		37	16	10.0	2.5	—	1

How he plays

Play style

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

12 games

37Tackles

16Solo

10TFL

2.5Sacks

1Pass def.

0INT

37 tackles. 1 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 10 TFL.

Week 30.5 sacks
Week 41 sack
Week 101 sack · 1 PD

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

Rutgers

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Rutgers

Returning around him

1 Rutgers player drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: +0 net (15 in / 15 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Rutgers · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #48 · 2026 recruiting class #36

DNA match

Player DNA

3-Tech Penetrator

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji’s 2022 season.

Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji

76%match

James Madison · 2022

Trumane Bell

UTSA · 2022

76%

Ezra Christensen

New Mexico State · 2025

All-Conference USA

76%

Khordae Sydnor

Vanderbilt · 2025

76%

Thomas Incoom

Central Michigan · 2021

73%

Matches Abi on

Sack rate

Weight

TFL rate

Differs from Abi on

Hurry rate (lower)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Logan Lutui's senior season at BYU (2024).

Logan Lutui

86%match

BYU · 2024

Sylvain Yondjouen

Georgia Tech · 2024

79%

Jorden Starling

Middle Tennessee · 2023

76%

Khordae Sydnor

Vanderbilt · 2025

75%

Ashton Gillotte

Louisville · 2024

All-ACCNFL Rd 3 · Pk 2

72%

Matches Logan on

TFL rate

Weight

Sack rate

Player DNA

Players who play like Eric O'Neill

Khordae Sydnor

Vanderbilt · 2025

76%

Max Llewellyn

Iowa · 2025

74%

Kenton Simmons

Florida International · 2025

73%

Anto Saka

Northwestern · 2024

70%

Prince Dorbah

Arizona State · 2025

59%

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

Eric O'Neill

202413 games

202512 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

3-Tech Penetrator

Players who play like Eric O'Neill