Wagner · W 49-7 · FCS
No tackles.
NC State · L 10-31
No tackles.
McKinley has tackles in 7 of California’s 9 games: none against Wagner and NC State.
JD McKinley
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. One game to point at: 5 tackles against Syracuse — Week 2, 2026.
21 tackles · 3 sacks
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Sports Illustrated Oct 29Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | California | 21 | 7 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 21 | 7 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 24-45vs UCLA | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 21-18@ Syracuse | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 4 | L 10-24vs Clemson | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 31-39@ UNLV | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 25-20vs Virginia Tech | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 7-41vs No. 21 Wake Forest | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 20-59@ No. 23 SMU | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 7 | 3.0 | 3.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 24 · L 20-59 at SMU, play by play
4 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 1-yard loss. Second quarter, up 17-10.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 3 tackles for loss, 3 of them sacks, in the 7 games with play by play.
How California’s defense played that day
SMU’s 11 drives: 2 stopped · 9 scored. While the game was within a score they held 2 of 7. His sack came with California up 7.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles, including 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback twice.
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. Fourth quarter, down 14-13.
3 tackles, including 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 14-yard loss on 3rd and 5. Third quarter, down 24-7.
4 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -3 to +14 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
21tackles this seasonTFL rate
14%3 TFLSack rate
14%3 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups21 tackles · 3 for loss · 3 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 4.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tosh Lupoi
Pass share
61.4%
386 pass / 243 run
Plays / game
69.9
9 games
Team sack rate
3.9%
432 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #204 at the position.
