Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-7vs Eastern Illinois | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-38vs Mississippi State | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 6 | 4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
#19
Joey Gerlach
Senior linebacker for Minnesota. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 225 lb · Woodbury, MN · Woodbury
Returning to Minnesota for 2026
The numbers
6
tackles · 2026
1.5 TFL · 1 sacks
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 4 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sacks, vs Mississippi State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 linebacker for Minnesota. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Minnesota in 2022.
Joey Gerlach
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Fourth year in the Minnesota linebacker corps, same address the whole way. The receipt: 4 tackles, 1.5 TFL against Mississippi State — Week 2, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with Minnesota3-star out of Woodbury
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Minnesota
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Minnesota
Played his entire career under P.J. Fleck.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under P.J. Fleck — 23-18 over that span.
2023Minnesota6-7HC: P.J. Fleck · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2024Minnesota8-5HC: P.J. Fleck · Balanced
2025Minnesota8-5HC: P.J. Fleck · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Minnesota1-1HC: P.J. Fleck · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (87th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 splits
Through 2 games: 3.0 TKL/g, 0.8 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
P.J. Fleck
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2024
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 59–7
2 TOT · 1 SOLO
Dominant 52-point win at home against Eastern Illinois.
With J. Tracy — 5 rec · 98 yds · D. Lindsey — 264 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 86.2 · 6 rush yds (2 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Minnesota
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Minnesota
Returning around him
- 1 Minnesota player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -1 net (19 in / 20 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Minnesota · Last season: 8-5 · Talent rank #41 · 2026 recruiting class #28
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Antwone Santiago’s 2024 season.
88%match
Matches Antwone on
Class year
Height
Solo tackle rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Jackson Kaufusi's sophomore season at BYU (2021).
91%match
Matches Jackson on
Class year
Hurry rate
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Joey Gerlach
Background
PRONUNCIATION Your browser does not support HTML5 audio. HONORS: Academic All-Big Ten (2025, 2024, 2023) CSC Academic All-District (2024, 2023) 2025 • JUNIOR SEASON: Competed in nine games and made 11 tackles. Game-by-Game: Made one tackle against Buffalo • led Minnesota with five tackles against...
The linebacker corps · Minnesota
- #6Maverick Baranowski102 tackles · 2025
- #29Andrew Marshall61 tackles · 2025
- #49Matt Kingsbury34 tackles · 2025
- #2Emmanuel Karmo14 tackles · 2025
- #19Joey Gerlach11 tackles · 2025
5 more on the roster · Minnesota team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology