Joe Sparacio: LB · Eastern Michigan · #19.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Joe Sparacio
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for three head coaches at two programs in six seasons: Steve Addazio, Jeff Hafley and Chris Creighton. The first career honor came in 2023: All-MAC. On tape: 23 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Western Michigan, Week 9, 2023.
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
139 tackles. 3 passes defended. 1 interception. 8.5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Eastern Michigan | 139 | 63 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 3 | 1 |
| 2022 | Eastern Michigan | 84 | 38 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | Boston College | 6 | 4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | -- | -- |
| 2020 | Boston College | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Boston College | 50 | 23 | 6.0 | 0.5 | -- | 1 |
| 2018 | Boston College | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 285 | 131 | 23.0 | 6.0 | 4 | 3 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 13 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-23vs Howard | 10 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 6-25@ Minnesota | 14 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 19-17vs Massachusetts | 14 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 0-21@ Jacksonville State | 14 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 23-26@ Central Michigan | 8 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 6 | W 24-10vs Ball State | 9 | 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 28-14vs Kent State | 12 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 13-20@ Northern Illinois | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 21-45vs Western Michigan | 23 | 6 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 23 tackles |
| Wk 11 | L 23-49@ Toledo | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 30-27vs Akron | 15 | 6 | 2.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Wk 13 | W 24-11@ Buffalo | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
 Bowl | L 10-59vs South Alabama | 5 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 139 | 63 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
139tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%8 TFLSack rate
2%2 sacksPD rate
2%3 pass breakups139 tackles · 8.5 for loss · 2.5 sacks · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 12.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Road6g | 8.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-78g | 10.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 10.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Chris Creighton
Pass share
46.1%
358 pass / 418 run
Plays / game
59.7
13 games
Team sack rate
8.2%
392 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2023
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #38 at the position.
How it ended
Six seasons, at Boston College and Eastern Michigan, 285 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
The role got bigger.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC · 2ND TEAM
All-MAC 2nd team (2023)
Coaching lineage · 2018–2023
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Steve Addazio, Jeff Hafley and Chris Creighton.
