#20

Jonas Sanker

Former safety at Virginia. 2024: 1 interception, 4 pass breakups, 98 tackles.

S · Virginia · Sr. · #20

6′1″ · 210 lb · Charlottesville, VA

CFB Index 86 · #17 of 537 safetiesMedium confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamNew Orleans — drafted 2025, Rd 3, Pick 29, #93 overall

Recruiting

3★

S recruit

No. 1250 nationally · Signed with Virginia

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former safety at Virginia. 2024: 1 interception, 4 pass breakups, 98 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Virginia in 2021.
Drafted round 3 by the New Orleans in 2025.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Virginia, 273 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2023) — drafted at #93 overall by New Orleans.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

20213 games

Signed with Virginia3-star out of The Covenant School

202312 games

The role got bigger.

All-ACCfirst

202412 games

All-ACCfirst

2025

Drafted by New Orleansround 3, pick 93

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1250 national

CFB

College

Virginia

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R3 · #93

New Orleans · 2025

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

7 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-ACC · 1ST TEAM

All-ACC 1st team (2024)

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

2 coaches

2021

Bronco Mendenhall

Virginia

2022–2024

Tony Elliott

Virginia

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Bronco Mendenhall → Tony Elliott. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

New OrleansEntering 2nd NFL season

#93Rd 3 · Pick 29

New OrleansEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Virginia6-6HC: Bronco Mendenhall · Pass-heavy

2022Virginia3-7HC: Tony Elliott · Balanced

2023Virginia3-9HC: Tony Elliott · Run-leaning

2024Virginia5-7HC: Tony Elliott · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

86All-Conference level #17 of 537?

Medium confidence8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (100th percentile). Strength: tackles (98th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Solo tackles#9 / 2892 · 100th pct

Tackles#50 / 2892 · 98th pct

Tackles for loss#164 / 2892 · 94th pct

9.0

Passes defended#327 / 2892 · 86th pct

Sacks#502 / 2892 · 79th pct

2.0

QB hurries#941 / 2892 · 57th pct

Forced fumbles#55 / 700 · 46th pct

Interceptions#314 / 862 · 32nd 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
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

2026 season

Head Coach

Tony Elliott

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

Awards

Player standing · 2024

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

86 · #17 of 537 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #17 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Virginia	98	66	9.0	2.0	4	1	--
2023	Virginia	107	73	4.0	0.0	11	--	--
2022	Virginia	63	36	0.5	0.0	2	1	--
2021	Virginia	5	2	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		273	177	13.5	2.0	17	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2024

W 34–13

vs Richmond

1 TFL · 4 SOLO · 8 TOT

Dominant 21-point win at home against Richmond.

With A. Colandrea — 297 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 77.8 · 49 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD · K. Pace — 93 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

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@ 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@ Pittsburgh	5	4	2.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 12	L 14-35@ Notre Dame	13	8	2.0	1.0	—	0	Season-high 13 tackles
Wk 13	L 7-33vs 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

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

Jonas Sanker

20213 games

202312 games

202412 games

2025

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Box Safety

Players who play like Jonas Sanker