#85

Jefferson Adam

Senior defensive lineman for Eastern Michigan. 2024: 4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, 26 tackles.

DL · Eastern Michigan · Sr. · #85

6′2″ · 260 lb · Ypsilanti, MI · Washtenaw International

CFB Index 60 · #154 of 426 edge rushersLow confidenceReturning to Eastern Michigan for 2026

via emueagles.com ↗

Next upSat Sep 19 · 12:30 pm ETat WisconsinCamp Randall StadiumWisconsin by 23.5

Recruiting

3★

EDGE recruit

No. 40 nationally · Joined Iowa State

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 defensive lineman for Eastern Michigan. 2024: 4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, 26 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Iowa State in 2023.
Transferred from Iowa State to Eastern Michigan in 2024.

His career, year by year

How he projects

Grades highest in tackling and pursuit.

The full scouting read

Jefferson Adam

DL · Eastern Michigan · Sr · #85

Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Iowa State to Eastern Michigan — the move that set up everything since. The receipt on tape: 3 tackles against Western Michigan, Week 14, 2024.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
portal record
game log

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2024Eastern Michigan5-7HC: Chris Creighton · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

60Quality starter #154 of 426?

Medium confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: sacks (94th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (87th percentile). Concern: passes defended (19th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Sacks#152 / 2892 · 94th pct

4.5

Tackles for loss#361 / 2892 · 87th pct

6.5

Solo tackles#1346 / 2892 · 52nd pct

Tackles#1590 / 2892 · 44th pct

QB hurries#1536 / 2892 · 23rd pct

Passes defended#1817 / 2892 · 19th 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

2024 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	2.6	1.1	0.9	0.0
Road6g	2.2	0.2	0.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	2.3	0.5	0.3	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	2.4	0.7	0.5	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Chris Creighton

Pass share

58.2%

107 pass / 77 run

Plays / game

61.3

3 games

Team sack rate

5.1%

117 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Pass-leaning, slow tempo.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

60 · #154 of 426 edge rushers

Three-star recruit. Now #154 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Eastern Michigan	26	16	6.5	4.5	--	--	--
Career		26	16	6.5	4.5	--	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2024

W 36–0

vs Saint Francis

3 TOT · 3 SOLO · 2 SACKS

Dominant 36-point win at home against Saint Francis.

With Z. Griffin — 1 rec · 89 yds · 1 TD · M. Tomasek — 46 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 50 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	Note
Wk 1	W 28-14@ Massachusetts	2	2	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 2	L 9-30@ Washington	2	1	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 3	W 37-34vs Jacksonville State	3	1	0.5	0.0	—	Season-high 3 tackles
Wk 4	W 36-0vs Saint Francis	3	3	2.0	2.0	—	2 sacks
Wk 5	W 52-33@ Kent State	2	2	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 7	L 14-38vs Miami (OH)	2	0	0.5	0.0	—
Wk 8	W 38-34vs Central Michigan	3	1	1.5	1.5	—
Wk 9	L 21-25@ Akron	1	0	0.5	0.0	—
Wk 12	L 10-35@ Ohio	3	2	0.5	0.0	—
Wk 13	L 20-37vs Buffalo	2	1	1.0	1.0	—
Wk 14	L 18-26@ Western Michigan	3	3	0.0	0.0	—
Total		26	16	6.5	4.5	—

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

11 games

26Tackles

16Solo

6.5TFL

4.5Sacks

0Pass def.

0INT

26 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 6.5 TFL.

Week 42 sacks
Week 81.5 sacks
Week 131 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

Eastern Michigan

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Eastern Michigan

Returning around him

Transfer portal: -14 net (12 in / 26 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Eastern Michigan · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #103 · 2026 recruiting class #106

DNA match

Player DNA

3-Tech Penetrator

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

IDL

His 2024 production profile sits closest to Thomas Rush’s 2021 season.

Thomas Rush

90%match

Minnesota · 2021

Cole Nelson

Virginia Tech · 2023

88%

Jasheen Davis

Wake Forest · 2021

84%

Javontae Jean-Baptiste

Ohio State · 2022

NFL Rd 7

80%

Brian Ugwu

Miami (OH) · 2022

78%

Matches Thomas on

Hurry rate

Weight

Sack rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Turner Coxe's freshman season at SMU (2020).

Turner Coxe

78%match

SMU · 2020

Bryton Thompson

UTEP · 2022

76%

Zach Durfee

Washington · 2024

NFL Rd 7

76%

Wardalis Ducksworth

Memphis · 2020

75%

Kydran Jenkins

Purdue · 2021

All-Big Ten

74%

Matches Turner on

Class year

Height

Weight

Background

EMU: 2025: Suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason…Selected as a team captain…Named the Torch Bearer Leader Award…2025 Man of the Year Award watchlist…Nominee for the Campbell Trophy, Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, and the AFCA Goodworks Team…2025 Hampshire Honor Society selection…2024: Named...