Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 37-21@ Rutgers | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 37-10vs Sacred Heart | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
#2
Joshua Nobles
Senior defensive lineman for Massachusetts. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 270 lb · Camden, NJ · East Side
Returning to Massachusetts for 2026
The numbers
0.5
sacks · 2026
0.5 TFL · 5 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL, 1 tackles, at Rutgers
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman for Massachusetts. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Western Michigan in 2021.
- Transferred from Jackson State to Massachusetts in 2025.
Joshua Nobles
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Joshua Nobles has played for three head coaches across three seasons and two programs. One game to point at: 4 tackles against Sacred Heart — Week 2, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2021
- Signed with Western Michigan3-star out of Camden Eastside
2024
- Entered the portal
2025
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coaches2022–2023
Massachusetts
2026era →
Joe Harasymiak
Massachusetts
Coaching transition mid-career: Don Brown → Joe Harasymiak. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Western Michigan5-7HC: Tim Lester · Run-leaning
2023Western Michigan4-8HC: Lance Taylor · Run-leaning
2026Massachusetts2-0HC: Joe Harasymiak · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
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: 2.5 TKL/g, 0.2 TFL/g, 0.2 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Joe Harasymiak
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2023
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Massachusetts | 5 | -- | 0.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Western Michigan | 13 | 8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Western Michigan | 9 | 4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 27 | 12 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 37–10
vs Sacred Heart
4 TOT
Dominant 27-point win at home against Sacred Heart.
With T. Harding — 1 rec · 49 yds · 1 TD · W. Watson III — 152 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 94.4 · 40 rush yds (4 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Massachusetts
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Massachusetts
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +2 net (21 in / 19 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Massachusetts · Last season: 0-12 · Talent rank #128 · 2026 recruiting class #116
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2023 production profile sits closest to Chantz Williams’s 2021 season.
Matches Chantz on
Class year
Weight
Sack rate
Differs from Chantz on
Hurry rate (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Chantz Williams's sophomore season at Miami (2021).
87%match
Matches Chantz on
Class year
TFL rate
Weight
Differs from Chantz on
Hurry rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Joshua Nobles
Background
2026 • Graduate Student Phil Steele's Preseason Third Team Athlon Sports All-MAC Third Team Defense 2025 • Senior Athlon Sports Preseason All-MAC Fourth Team Defense Did not compete due to season-long injury Before Massachusetts Spent the 2024 season at Jackson State, playing in four games Posted...
The defensive line · Massachusetts
- #98William Depaepe1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #42Andrew Depaepe0.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #90Tim Passmore Jr.0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #95Hollis Dirstine2 games · 2026
- #2Joshua Nobles2 games · 2026
13 more on the roster · Massachusetts team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology