“we could use a jordan castell pick right here”
9 stories in the last 30 days, from 7 outlets.
Kentucky’s Jordan Castell Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week
A Sea Of Blue +2 Oct 19
Jordan Castell
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Played for two head coaches at two programs in four seasons: Billy Napier and Will Stein. One game to point at: 8 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Vanderbilt — Week 8, 2026.
65 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
65 tackles. 3 passes defended. 4 interceptions. 3 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.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 7 outlets
Kentucky’s Jordan Castell Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week
A Sea Of Blue +2 Oct 19 · 4 outlets
A Sea Of Blue +2Kentucky’s Jordan Castell Named SEC Defensive Player of the WeekOct 19
Yahoo SportsMichael Hawkins Jr., Jordan Castell earn major award after Week 7Oct 20from 9 outlets
Kentucky’s Jordan Castell Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week
A Sea Of Blue +2 Oct 19 · 4 outlets
A Sea Of Blue +2Kentucky’s Jordan Castell Named SEC Defensive Player of the WeekOct 19
UK AthleticsKentucky Safety Jordan Castell Named Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the WeekSep 21Yahoo SportsMichael Hawkins Jr., Jordan Castell earn major award after Week 7Oct 20
On3A Sea Of Blue +2On3On3Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
Kentucky14 stories2026 to nowMost about: awards and watch lists, in his words, win.
A Sea Of Blue +2Kentucky’s Jordan Castell Named SEC Defensive Player of the WeekOct 19A Sea Of Blue +1Jordan Castell earns national honors following Kentucky’s first win ever at OklahomaOct 20On3New DC was big draw for ex-Gators Jordan Castell, Aaron GatesAug 3UK AthleticsKentucky Safety Jordan Castell Named Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the WeekSep 21
Florida2023 to 2025not trackedStories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
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Last game (Wk 8): 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-13vs Youngstown State | 7 | 2 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 17-45vs No. 12 Alabama | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 31-21@ No. 9 Texas A&M | 13 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 4 | W 45-21vs South Alabama | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 35-34@ South Carolina | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 35-34vs No. 10 LSU | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | W 21-13@ Oklahoma | 9 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-17vs Vanderbilt | 8 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 65 | 26 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 3 |
Oct. 24 · W 34-17 vs Vanderbilt, play by play
8 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: taking the ball away — 4 interceptions in the 8 games with play by play.
How Kentucky’s defense played that day
Vanderbilt’s 8 drives: 5 stopped (2 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 5.
A big game: a defensive touchdown: his interception went 41 yards for the score. 9 tackles, including 1 pass broken up, tied for the most interceptions in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 4th and 2. Second quarter, up 7-3. Ended Oklahoma’s drive (int).
Intercepted on 3rd and 8, returned 41 yards for the score. Fourth quarter, made it 21-13.
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 13 tackles, including 1 interception, 1 pass broken up. His interception ended Texas A&M’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 14 for him; the box score credits 13.
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, up 31-14. Ended Texas A&M’s drive (int).
9 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception ended Alabama’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. Second quarter, up 14-13. Ended Alabama’s drive (int).
7 tackles, including 2 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -12 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
5%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
4interceptionsTackle volume
65tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%3 TFL65 tackles · 3 for loss · 3 pass breakups · 4 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 7.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 9.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 8.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 8.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Will Stein
Pass share
46.1%
233 pass / 272 run
Plays / game
63.1
8 games
Team sack rate
6.2%
257 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
65 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #3 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 43 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Billy Napier, Billy Gonzales and Will Stein.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Kentucky
