Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-3vs Houston Christian | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 0-52@ Notre Dame | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#8
Joseph Mutombo
Junior defensive lineman on Rice's 2026 roster.
6′5″ · 271 lb · Fort Worth, TX · Keller Central
Returning to Rice for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
4 tackles · 1 hurries
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 tackles, vs Houston Christian
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive lineman on Rice's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Rice in 2023.
Joseph Mutombo
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Joseph Mutombo has been at Rice through two head coaches in four seasons. The receipt: 2 tackles against Notre Dame — Week 2, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Rice3-star out of Keller Central
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Rice
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
Rice
2025–2026era →
Scott Abell
Rice
Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Bloomgren → Scott Abell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Rice6-7HC: Mike Bloomgren · Balanced, slow tempo
2024Rice4-8HC: Mike Bloomgren · Pass-leaning
2025Rice5-8HC: Scott Abell · Run-heavy
2026Rice1-1HC: Scott Abell · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (83rd 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: 2.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Abell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
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 31–3
2 TOT · 1 SOLO · 1 QB HUR
Dominant 28-point win at home against Houston Christian.
With Q. Jackson — 61 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · C. Durkin — 54 AVG · 54 LONG · 1 NO
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Rice
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Rice
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -2 net (20 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Rice · Last season: 5-8 · Talent rank #100 · 2026 recruiting class #104
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Moso'oipala Tuitele’s 2024 season.
Matches Moso'oipala on
Class year
Sack rate
Hurry rate
Differs from Moso'oipala on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Koron Hayward's junior season at Western Kentucky (2025).
Matches Koron on
Class year
Sack rate
Weight
Differs from Koron on
TFL rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Joseph Mutombo
Background
Pronunciation Guide Honors at Rice AAC All-Academic 2024, 2026 2025 Matched his career bests by playing in 12 games and 11 tackles… Second on the team with four quarterback hits and fifth with 12 total pressures… Made his first career start in the opener at Louisiana and was credited with a pair...
The defensive line · Rice
- #57Aquantis Clemmons3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #16Chibby Nwajuaku3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #92Luca Akirtava2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #2Jo Chavez1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #8Joseph Mutombo1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Rice team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology