Justin Layne: CB · Michigan State · #2.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Justin Layne
Jams receivers off their route at the line. Third year in the Michigan State secondary. The first one came in 2018: All-Big Ten. On tape: 8 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Northwestern, Week 6, 2018.
Play style
Long and physical; jams receivers off their route at the line.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
62 tackles. 11 passes defended. 1 interception. 1 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.
The Detroit News Oct 27
Detroit Free Press Oct 24
Lansing State Journal Oct 23Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Michigan State | 62 | 38 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 |
| 2017 | Michigan State | 40 | 24 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 |
| 2016 | Michigan State | 18 | 11 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 120 | 73 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 20 | 3 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2018 season · 11 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-31vs Utah State | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-16@ Arizona State | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 35-21@ Indiana | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 31-20vs Central Michigan | 9 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 6 | L 19-29vs Northwestern | 8 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 21-17@ No. 8 Penn State | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 7-21vs No. 6 Michigan | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 23-13vs Purdue | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 4 | |
| Wk 10 | W 24-3@ Maryland | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 6-9@ Nebraska | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | W 14-10vs Rutgers | 6 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Total | 62 | 38 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 11 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
18%11 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
62tackles this season62 tackles · 1 for loss · 11 pass breakups · 1 interception.
3 seasons under Mark Dantonio — 20-18 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2018 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 6.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| Road5g | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 7.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mark Dantonio
Pass share
52.2%
489 pass / 447 run
Plays / game
72.0
13 games
Team sack rate
4.9%
534 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2018
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
How it ended
Three seasons at Michigan State, 120 tackles — drafted at #83 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A blue-chip recruit with honors.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-BIG TEN · 2ND TEAM
All-Big Ten 2nd team (2018)
Coaching lineage · 2016–2018
1 coachPlayed every college season under Mark Dantonio.
Next stop · NFL
Pittsburgh SteelersEntering 8th NFL season
Pittsburgh SteelersEntering 8th NFL season
