Justin Whiteside: LB · Central Michigan · #6.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Justin Whiteside
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. A two-star recruit with five seasons on the field at Central Michigan since. A game that shows it: 23 receiving yards and 7 tackles against San Diego State — Week 5, 2024.
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
58 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 5.5 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 | Central Michigan | 58 | 28 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Central Michigan | 49 | 28 | 3.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Central Michigan | 67 | 34 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | Central Michigan | 28 | 20 | 7.5 | 3.0 | 2 | -- |
| 2020 | Central Michigan | 8 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 210 | 114 | 24.5 | 6.0 | 4 | 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 66-10vs Central Connecticut | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 16-52vs Florida International | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 9-30@ Illinois | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 37-34vs Ball State | 7 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 22-21vs San Diego State | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 25-27vs Ohio | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 34-38@ Eastern Michigan | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 7-46@ Miami (OH) | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 13-23vs Bowling Green | 6 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 10-37@ Toledo | 5 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 16-14vs Western Michigan | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 16-24@ Northern Illinois | 5 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 58 | 28 | 5.5 | 3.0 | — | 1 |
Week 1 · 2024
W 66-10
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 6 tackles
Dominant 56-point win at home against Central Connecticut.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
58tackles this seasonTFL rate
9%6 TFLSack rate
5%3 sacksPD rate
2%1 pass breakups58 tackles · 5.5 for loss · 3 sacks.
5 seasons under Jim McElwain — 25-30 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 5.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 4.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 4.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jim McElwain
Pass share
40.4%
301 pass / 444 run
Plays / game
62.1
12 games
Team sack rate
8.4%
323 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2024
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #196 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons at Central Michigan, 210 tackles — the college career is complete.
A stat line in 49 games over five seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2024
1 coachPlayed every college season under Jim McElwain.
