Senior defensive back on Eastern Michigan's 2026 roster.
5′8″ · 181 lb · Eastvale, CA · Roosevelt
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he projects
Erases the deep middle of the field.
Grades highest in speed and play recognition.
The full scouting readRecruiting
S recruit
Joined Eastern Michigan
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive back on Eastern Michigan's 2026 roster.
Juan Salas
Erases the deep middle of the field. Second year in the Eastern Michigan secondary, same address the whole way. The receipt on tape: 11 tackles against Michigan State, Week 2, 2026.
16 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Chris Creighton — 5-10 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles (80th percentile). Concern: solo tackles (3rd percentile).
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 · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 11.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Chris Creighton
Pass share
58.2%
107 pass / 77 run
Plays / game
61.3
3 games
Team sack rate
5.1%
117 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #33 of 40 Mid-American DBs
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Eastern Michigan | 16 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Eastern Michigan | 34 | 21 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 50 | 23 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 28–17
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 28-17vs Sacramento State | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | L 21-27vs San José State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-35@ Michigan State | 11 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Total | 16 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Eastern Michigan
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Eastern Michigan
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Eastern Michigan · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #103 · 2026 recruiting class #106
Player DNA
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Malik Fleming’s 2020 season.
Matches Malik on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Keuan Parker's sophomore season at Tulsa (2023).
Matches Keuan on
Player DNA
EMU: Pronounced WAN SAW-liss…2026: Selected to the 2026 Phil Steele MAC Fourth Team (PR)… 2025: Played in all 12 games with six starts…Finished the season with 34 tackles, including 21 solo and 13 assisted stops…Recorded one interception against Ohio (Oct. 25)…Added one pass breakup versus Wester...
16 more on the roster · Eastern Michigan team page