Kennesaw State · L 28-44
2 tackles
The other 7 games average 3 tackles. This one was 1 below.
James Johnson
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Played for two head coaches at two programs in two seasons: Lincoln Riley and Derek Mason. A game that shows it: 6 tackles and 1 sack against Delaware — Week 7, 2026.
26 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
26 tackles. 2 passes defended. 1 interception. 1.5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Middle Tennessee | 26 | 12 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | USC | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 26 | 12 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 2 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-14vs Murray State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 26-28@ Marshall | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 27-20vs Nevada | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 13-23@ Jacksonville State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 0-55@ Kansas | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | W 33-30vs Delaware | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 8 | W 26-23@ Florida International | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 28-44vs Kennesaw State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 26 | 12 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 28 · L 28-44 vs Kennesaw State, play by play
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: coverage — 2 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How Middle Tennessee’s defense played that day
Kennesaw State’s 12 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 5 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 7.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 1 of his 2, sacks included.
6 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 4-yard loss. Second quarter, up 12-3.
3 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 interception. His interception ended Jacksonville State’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. Second quarter, down 10-7. Ended Jacksonville State’s drive (int).
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
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.
No game thread archived for this game yet.
Week 7 · 2026
W 33-30
vs Delaware
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 6 tackles
Edged out Delaware at home in a shootout.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -14 to +3 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
8%2 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
26tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%2 TFL26 tackles · 1.5 for loss · 1 sack · 2 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 2.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Derek Mason
Pass share
53.0%
259 pass / 230 run
Plays / game
61.1
8 games
Team sack rate
2.8%
283 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #190 at the position.
The No. 1,325 recruit in the country is starting in the secondary in the Conference USA as a sophomore.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Lincoln Riley and Derek Mason.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Middle Tennessee
