Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 71-3vs Nicholls | 5 | 2 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 34-7vs Washington State | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#35
Gabe Powers
Gabe Powers was the No. 61 recruit in the country once — a four-star linebacker out of Marysville who picked Ohio State over everyone. Three years later he was still on the bench, so he did the modern thing and bet on himself. Now, at Kansas State, the Will linebacker job is sitting open with his name next to it.
6′3″ · 233 lb · Marysville, OH · Marysville
CFB Index 11 · #565 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceReturning to Kansas State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
9
tackles · 2026
2 TFL
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 5 tackles, 2 TFL, vs Nicholls
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Gabe Powers was the No. 61 recruit in the country once — a four-star linebacker out of Marysville who picked Ohio State over everyone. Three years later he was still on the bench, so he did the modern thing and bet on himself. Now, at Kansas State, the Will linebacker job is sitting open with his name next to it.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Ohio State in 2022.
- Transferred from Ohio State to Kansas State in 2025.
Gabe Powers was the No. 61 recruit in the country once — a four-star linebacker out of Marysville who picked Ohio State over everyone. Three years later he was still on the bench, so he did the modern thing and bet on himself. Now, at Kansas State, the Will linebacker job is sitting open with his name next to it.
The Powers story has always been about the gap between what he was supposed to be and what he'd actually gotten to do. He landed at Ohio State as the No. 61 overall prospect in the 2022 class, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound four-star, and then spent three seasons stuck behind veterans, his career highlight a 29-yard pick-six against Akron in a season opener. In December 2024 he became the first Buckeye to hit the portal, telling anyone who'd listen he just wanted to play.
Kansas State won that recruiting battle over Minnesota, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and 2025 was the first time the bet paid anything back: he appeared in all 12 games, earned his first career start against Army, and finished with 21 tackles and 1.5 for loss across 189 defensive snaps, plus Academic All-Big 12 honors. Useful, not yet decisive. With Austin Romaine and Desmond Purnell locked in at Mike and Sam, the projection now is that Powers slides into the open Will spot.
That's the whole offseason question in Manhattan. The talent was never the doubt — the snaps were. He has two seasons of eligibility and, for the first time in his career, a starting job that isn't blocked by an entrenched veteran. 2026 is where the four-star label either becomes production or stays a recruiting footnote.
How he plays
A long, rangy WILL linebacker built more like a big nickel than a thumper — 6-foot-4 and around 230-237 pounds, with the length and movement skills that made him a four-star and the kind of body that shows up in coverage and in chase. The one play that travels is the pick-six, which fits the profile: instincts and ball skills more than downhill violence. His 2025 K-State tape was a rotation player's tape — 21 tackles, 1.5 for loss over 189 snaps, plus heavy special-teams duty — so the read is a developmental athlete with the frame and the range to start, who still needs to prove he can hold up snap-to-snap as a full-time defender rather than a situational piece.
The story
The Powers story has always been about the gap between what he was supposed to be and what he'd actually gotten to do. He landed at Ohio State as the No. 61 overall prospect in the 2022 class, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound four-star, and then spent three seasons stuck behind veterans, his career highlight a 29-yard pick-six against Akron in a season opener. In December 2024 he became the first Buckeye to hit the portal, telling anyone who'd listen he just wanted to play.
Kansas State won that recruiting battle over Minnesota, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and 2025 was the first time the bet paid anything back: he appeared in all 12 games, earned his first career start against Army, and finished with 21 tackles and 1.5 for loss across 189 defensive snaps, plus Academic All-Big 12 honors. Useful, not yet decisive. With Austin Romaine and Desmond Purnell locked in at Mike and Sam, the projection now is that Powers slides into the open Will spot.
That's the whole offseason question in Manhattan. The talent was never the doubt — the snaps were. He has two seasons of eligibility and, for the first time in his career, a starting job that isn't blocked by an entrenched veteran. 2026 is where the four-star label either becomes production or stays a recruiting footnote.
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
A long, rangy WILL linebacker built more like a big nickel than a thumper — 6-foot-4 and around 230-237 pounds, with the length and movement skills that made him a four-star and the kind of body that shows up in coverage and in chase. The one play that travels is the pick-six, which fits the profile: instincts and ball skills more than downhill violence. His 2025 K-State tape was a rotation player's tape — 21 tackles, 1.5 for loss over 189 snaps, plus heavy special-teams duty — so the read is a developmental athlete with the frame and the range to start, who still needs to prove he can hold up snap-to-snap as a full-time defender rather than a situational piece.
Written by our staff.
2022
- Signed with Ohio State4-star out of Marysville
202510 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2025
Kansas State
2026era →
Collin Klein
Kansas State
Coaching transition mid-career: Chris Klieman → Collin Klein. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Ohio State11-2HC: Ryan Day · Balanced
2024Ohio State14-2HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Kansas State6-6HC: Chris Klieman · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2026Kansas State2-0HC: Collin Klein · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: qb hurries (96th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (85th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 splits
Through 2 games: 4.5 TKL/g, 1.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Collin Klein
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
11 · #565 of 583 LBs
Former four-star. Now #565 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #72 of 73 Big 12 LBs
How the All-Big 12 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kansas State | 9 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Kansas State | 21 | 10 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Ohio State | 7 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 42 | 26 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 71–3
vs Nicholls
5 TOT · 2 SOLO · 2 TFL
Dominant 68-point win at home against Nicholls.
With A. Johnson — 199 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · 23 rush yds (4 car) · 1 TD · B. White — 7 rush yds (1 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
A long, rangy WILL linebacker built more like a big nickel than a thumper — 6-foot-4 and around 230-237 pounds, with the length and movement skills that made him a four-star and the kind of body that shows up in coverage and in chase. The one play that travels is the pick-six, which fits the profile: instincts and ball skills more than downhill violence. His 2025 K-State tape was a rotation player's tape — 21 tackles, 1.5 for loss over 189 snaps, plus heavy special-teams duty — so the read is a developmental athlete with the frame and the range to start, who still needs to prove he can hold up snap-to-snap as a full-time defender rather than a situational piece.
Our classifier reads him the same way: is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
2026 Outlook
Kansas State
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Cornerback · Kansas State · editorial
Returning around him
- 2 Kansas State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -6 net (27 in / 33 out)
2026 Award watch
- Jim Thorpe
- Hornung
Kansas State · Last season: 6-6 (AP #17) · Talent rank #47 · 2026 recruiting class #50
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Stanquan Clark’s 2025 season.
Matches Stanquan on
Solo tackle rate
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Differs from Stanquan on
Hurry rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Stanquan Clark's junior season at Louisville (2025).
Matches Stanquan on
Solo tackle rate
Weight
Tackle volume
Differs from Stanquan on
Hurry rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Gabe Powers
Background
CAREER HONORS • 2025 Academic All-Big 12 • 2023 Academic All-Big Ten 2025: Played in all 12 games as a regular member of the playing rotation in addition to earning his first-career start against Army as he posted 21 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss over 189 defensive snaps and 36 special teams p...
The linebacker corps · Kansas State
- #4Mekhi Mason62 tackles · 2025
- #28Rex Van Wyhe29 tackles · 2025
- #20Jacobi Oliphant Jr.24 tackles · 2025
- #35Gabe Powers21 tackles · 2025
- #23Asa Newsom20 tackles · 2025
6 more on the roster · Kansas State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology