Justin Jefferson: DL · Eastern Michigan · #5.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Justin Jefferson
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Four seasons in the Eastern Michigan defensive front to date. A game that shows it: 7 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against Massachusetts — Week 1, 2024.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
34 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Eastern Michigan | 34 | 11 | 5.0 | 4.0 | -- |
| 2023 | Eastern Michigan | 48 | 16 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 2022 | Eastern Michigan | 19 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- |
| 2021 | Eastern Michigan | 20 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| Career | 121 | 44 | 12.5 | 6.5 | 1 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 28-14@ Massachusetts | 7 | 2 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 9-30@ Washington | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 37-34vs Jacksonville State | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 36-0vs Saint Francis | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 52-33@ Kent State | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 14-38vs Miami (OH) | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 38-34vs Central Michigan | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 21-25@ Akron | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 28-29vs Toledo | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 10-35@ Ohio | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 20-37vs Buffalo | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 18-26@ Western Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 11 | 5.0 | 4.0 | — | 0 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
15%5 TFLSack rate
12%4 sacksHurry rate
26%9 hurries34 tackles · 5 for loss · 4 sacks.
4 seasons under Chris Creighton — 27-24 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Road6g | 2.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Chris Creighton
Pass share
46.9%
415 pass / 469 run
Plays / game
73.7
12 games
Team sack rate
7.1%
420 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2024
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #103 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at Eastern Michigan, 6 sacks — the college career is complete.
A stat line in 40 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2020–2024
1 coachPlayed every college season under Chris Creighton.
