Penn State · L 17-31
15 tackles
The other 7 games average 5 tackles. This one was 10 above.
Justin Denson Jr.
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. The three seasons span two programs and two head coaches: Jonathan Smith and Barry Odom. On tape: 15 tackles against Penn State, Week 9, 2026.
51 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
51 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 1.5 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.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Purdue | 51 | 23 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| 2025 | Michigan State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2024 | Michigan State | 13 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | 66 | 34 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
Last game (Wk 9): 15 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 44-19vs Indiana State | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 36-38vs Wake Forest | 7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 38-52@ UCLA | 6 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 10-49vs No. 3 Notre Dame | 8 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 24-17@ Illinois | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 41-13vs Minnesota | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 26-38vs Washington | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 17-31@ Penn State | 15 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 15 tackles |
| Total | 51 | 23 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 31 · L 17-31 at Penn State, play by play
A big game: 15 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
How Purdue’s defense played that day
Penn State’s 8 drives: 3 stopped · 5 scored. While the game was within a score they held 2 of 6. His hurry came with Purdue down 7.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 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.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from +4 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
0%0 pass breakupsTackle volume
51tackles this seasonTFL rate
3%2 TFL51 tackles · 1.5 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 5.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 7.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 5.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 15.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Barry Odom
Pass share
50.8%
265 pass / 257 run
Plays / game
65.2
8 games
Team sack rate
6.1%
297 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
51 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #209 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Jonathan Smith and Barry Odom.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Purdue
