Jonas Sanker: S · Virginia · #20.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Jonas Sanker
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Played for two head coaches at Virginia: Bronco Mendenhall and Tony Elliott. Named All-ACC two seasons running, most recently in 2024. A game that shows it: 13 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against Notre Dame — Week 12, 2024.
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
98 tackles. 4 passes defended. 1 interception. 9 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.
The Daily Progress Oct 16Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-13vs Richmond | 8 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-30@ Wake Forest | 10 | 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 13-27vs Maryland | 11 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 43-24@ Coastal Carolina | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 24-14vs Boston College | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 20-24vs Louisville | 11 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 31-48@ No. 10 Clemson | 8 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 14-41vs North Carolina | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 24-19@ No. 23 Pittsburgh | 5 | 4 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 14-35@ No. 8 Notre Dame | 13 | 8 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 13 | L 7-33vs No. 13 SMU | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 14 | L 17-37@ Virginia Tech | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 98 | 66 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 4 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
4%4 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
98tackles this seasonTFL rate
9%9 TFL98 tackles · 9 for loss · 2 sacks · 4 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 8.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road6g | 8.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 8.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 8.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Elliott
Pass share
48.5%
400 pass / 425 run
Plays / game
68.8
12 games
Team sack rate
10.1%
457 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2024
First team in his league at the position.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #17 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at Virginia, 273 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2023) — drafted at #93 overall by the New Orleans Saints.
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-ACC · 1ST TEAM
All-ACC 1st team (2024)
Weekly recognition
4 weekly honors (2024)
ACC Defensive Back Player of the Week — a 4+ season has tracked to All-Conference ~83% of the time
Coaching lineage · 2021–2024
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Bronco Mendenhall → Tony Elliott. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Next stop · NFL
New Orleans SaintsEntering 2nd NFL season
New Orleans SaintsEntering 2nd NFL season
