John Saunders Jr.

Former safety at Ole Miss. 2024: 3 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 46 tackles.

S · Ole Miss · Sr. · #5

6′2″ · 200 lb · High Point, NC

CFB Index 67 · #121 of 537 safetiesMedium confidenceOle Miss 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

WR recruit

No. 2154 nationally · Signed with Miami (OH)

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former safety at Ole Miss. 2024: 3 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 46 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Miami (OH) in 2020.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Ole Miss, 175 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2020

Signed with Miami (OH)3-star out of High Point Christian Academy

202211 games

The role got bigger.

All-MACthird

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#2154 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2020–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 honor

🎖

ALL-MAC

All-MAC mention (2022)

Coaching lineage · 2020–2024

1 coach

2020–2024

Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss

Played his entire career under Lane Kiffin.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Miami (OH)2-1HC: Chuck Martin · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2021Miami (OH)7-6HC: Chuck Martin · Balanced

2022Miami (OH)6-7HC: Chuck Martin · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2023Ole Miss11-2HC: Lane Kiffin · Run-leaning

2024Ole Miss10-3HC: Lane Kiffin · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

67Quality starter #121 of 537?

Medium confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: passes defended (90th percentile). Strength: interceptions (89th percentile). Concern: qb hurries (23rd percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Passes defended#225 / 2892 · 90th pct

Interceptions#52 / 862 · 89th pct

Solo tackles#678 / 2892 · 76th pct

Tackles#713 / 2892 · 75th pct

Tackles for loss#1667 / 2892 · 38th pct

1.5

Sacks#1455 / 2892 · 25th pct

0.0

QB hurries#1536 / 2892 · 23rd 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 · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home8g	4.1	0.2	0.0	0.5
Road4g	3.2	0.0	0.0	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	3.1	0.1	0.0	0.3
Weeks 8+5g	4.8	0.2	0.0	0.6

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Pete Golding

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

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

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

67 · #121 of 537 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #121 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Ole Miss	46	27	1.5	5	3	--
2023	Ole Miss	65	39	2.0	4	3	--
2022	Miami (OH)	49	32	0.5	10	2	--
2021	Miami (OH)	13	9	0.5	4	3	--
2020	Miami (OH)	2	2	0.0	1	--	--
Career		175	109	4.5	24	11	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 11 · 2024

W 28–10

vs Georgia

2 PD · 1 TFL · 3 SOLO

With J. Dart — 199 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 89.6 · 50 rush yds (8 car) · F. Masin — 54 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 65 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 76-0vs Furman	3	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 52-3vs Middle Tennessee	1	0	0.0	1	0
Wk 3	W 40-6@ Wake Forest	4	2	0.0	—	1
Wk 4	W 52-13vs Georgia Southern	4	4	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	L 17-20vs Kentucky	6	3	0.5	—	0
Wk 7	L 26-29@ LSU	2	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 26-14vs Oklahoma	9	7	0.0	—	1	Season-high 9 tackles
Wk 10	W 63-31@ Arkansas	4	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	W 28-10vs Georgia	4	3	1.0	1	2
Wk 13	L 17-24@ Florida	3	1	0.0	1	0
Wk 14	W 26-14vs Mississippi State	4	1	0.0	—	0
Bowl	W 52-20vs Duke	2	1	0.0	—	1
Total		46	27	1.5	3	5

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