Jeffrey M'Ba

Senior defensive tackle for SMU. 2025: 5.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, 42 tackles.

DT · SMU · Sr. · #6

6′6″ · 312 lb · Libreville

CFB Index 90 · #11 of 330 interior linemenLow confidenceReturning to SMU for 2026

How he plays

Wins his gap play after play.

Sacks: 97th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

5.5

sacks · 2025

7.5 TFL · 42 tackles

Best game: 2.5 sacks, 2.5 TFL, 4 tackles, at Missouri State

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 defensive tackle for SMU. 2025: 5.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, 42 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to St. Thomas More in 2020.
Transferred from Purdue to SMU in 2025.

His career, year by year

Jeffrey M'Ba

DT · SMU · Sr · #6

Wins his gap play after play. Three head coaches in four seasons, at three different programs. The receipt on tape: 8 tackles against Baylor, Week 2, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2022Auburn5-7HC: Cadillac Williams · Run-heavy

2023Purdue4-8HC: Ryan Walters · Run-leaning

2024Purdue1-11HC: Ryan Walters · Balanced, slow tempo

2025SMU9-4HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

90All-Conference level #11 of 330?

Low confidenceBreakout6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: sacks (97th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (91st percentile). Concern: passes defended (18th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Sacks#90 / 2975 · 97th pct

5.5

Tackles for loss#234 / 2975 · 91st pct

7.5

Tackles#834 / 2975 · 71st pct

Solo tackles#1348 / 2975 · 53rd pct

QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct

Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th 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 · 10 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home4g	4.5	0.2	0.2	0.0
Road6g	4.0	1.1	0.8	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-75g	4.4	1.0	0.8	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	4.0	0.5	0.3	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Rhett Lashlee

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

90 · #11 of 330 interior linemen

Former four-star. Now #11 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix for All-ACC

Based on 2025: #2 of 11 ACC DTs

How the All-ACC estimate is computed

49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. 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	SMU	42	16	7.5	5.5	--	--	--
2024	Purdue	30	15	1.0	0.0	--	--	--
2023	Purdue	16	8	2.0	1.0	--	--	--
2022	Auburn	7	4	1.0	1.0	--	--	--
Career		95	43	11.5	7.5	--	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 10 · 2025

W 26–20

vs Miami

5 TOT

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 6 at home.

With K. Jennings — 365 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 67.6 · -8 rush yds (8 car) · 1 TD · W. McSparron — 43 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 57 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	Note
Wk 2	L 45-48vs Baylor	8	2	0.0	0.0	—	Season-high 8 tackles
Wk 3	W 28-10@ Missouri State	4	2	2.5	2.5	—	2.5 sacks
Wk 4	L 24-35@ TCU	5	2	1.5	0.5	—
Wk 6	W 31-18vs Syracuse	3	1	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 7	W 34-10vs Stanford	2	1	1.0	1.0	—
Wk 8	W 35-24@ Clemson	3	2	1.0	1.0	—
Wk 9	L 12-13@ Wake Forest	3	2	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 10	W 26-20vs Miami	5	0	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 11	W 45-13@ Boston College	4	3	1.5	0.5	—
Wk 14	L 35-38@ California	5	1	0.0	0.0	—
Total		42	16	7.5	5.5	—

How he plays

Play style

Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

10 games

42Tackles

16Solo

7.5TFL

5.5Sacks

0Pass def.

0INT

42 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 7.5 TFL.

Week 32.5 sacks
Week 40.5 sacks
Week 71 sack
Week 81 sack
Week 110.5 sacks

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

SMU

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive tackle · SMU

Returning around him

1 SMU player drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -11 net (15 in / 26 out)

2026 Award watch

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

SMU · Last season: 9-4 (AP #25) · Talent rank #31 · 2026 recruiting class #32

DNA match

Player DNA

Two-Gap Base

Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Yahya Black’s 2022 season.

Yahya Black

75%match

Iowa · 2022

NFL Rd 5

Quientrail Jamison-Travis

Auburn · 2024

73%

James Thompson Jr.

Wisconsin · 2023

72%

Deven Eastern

Minnesota · 2024

NFL Rd 7

72%

Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder

Kansas State · 2025

72%

Matches Yahya on

Weight

TFL rate

Height

Differs from Yahya on

Sack rate (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Aaron Graves's senior season at Iowa (2025).

Aaron Graves

72%match

Iowa · 2025

All-Big Ten

Justin Eboigbe

Alabama · 2023

All-SECNFL Rd 4

72%

Ru'Quan Buckley

Michigan State · 2025

72%

Kyonte Hamilton

Rutgers · 2024

NFL Rd 7

68%

Jordan Jefferson

LSU · 2023

67%

Matches Aaron on

TFL rate

Sack rate

Weight

Differs from Aaron on

Hurry rate (lower)

Player DNA

Players who play like Jeffrey M'Ba

Yilanan Ouattara

Vanderbilt · 2023

85%

Chris Thomas Jr.

Marshall · 2024

82%

Zeek Biggers

Georgia Tech · 2024

82%

DeMonte Capehart

Clemson · 2025

82%

Deven Eastern

Minnesota · 2025

82%

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

Jeffrey M'Ba

2020

20226 games

20238 games

202510 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Two-Gap Base

Players who play like Jeffrey M'Ba