Joel Iyiegbuniwe: LB · Western Kentucky · #4.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for two head coaches in two seasons at Western Kentucky. The first one came in 2017: All-Conference USA. On tape: 15 tackles and 3 tackles for loss against Middle Tennessee, Week 12, 2017.
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
117 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 11.5 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Western Kentucky | 117 | 54 | 11.5 | 2.0 | 1 |
| 2016 | Western Kentucky | 64 | 39 | 10.0 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Career | 181 | 93 | 21.5 | 5.5 | 4 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2017 season · 13 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-17vs Eastern Kentucky | 9 | 7 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Wk 2 | L 7-20@ Illinois | 12 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 22-23vs Louisiana Tech | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 33-21vs Ball State | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 15-14@ UTEP | 9 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 45-14vs Charlotte | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 35-31@ Old Dominion | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 28-42vs Florida Atlantic | 14 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 17-31@ Vanderbilt | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 23-30@ Marshall | 15 | 5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 15 tackles |
| Wk 12 | W 41-38vs Middle Tennessee | 15 | 8 | 3.0 | 0.5 | — | 1 | 3.0 TFL |
| Wk 13 | L 17-41@ Florida International | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | L 17-27vs Georgia State | 12 | 4 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 117 | 54 | 11.5 | 2.0 | — | 1 |
Week 12 · 2017
W 41-38
0.5 sacks · 3 tackles for loss · 15 tackles
Edged out Middle Tennessee at home in a shootout.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
117tackles this seasonTFL rate
10%12 TFLSack rate
2%2 sacksPD rate
1%1 pass breakups117 tackles · 11.5 for loss · 2 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2017 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 8.7 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Road6g | 8.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 8.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 10.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Sanford Jr.
Pass share
59.9%
577 pass / 387 run
Plays / game
74.2
13 games
Team sack rate
7.4%
635 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2017
First team in his league at the position.
How it ended
Two seasons at Western Kentucky, 181 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2017) — drafted at #115 overall by the Chicago Bears.
Recruited as a two-star, and honored since.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE USA · 1ST TEAM
All-Conference USA 1st team (2017)
Coaching lineage · 2014–2017
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jeff Brohm → Mike Sanford Jr.. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Next stop · NFL
Chicago BearsEntering 9th NFL season
Chicago BearsEntering 9th NFL season
