Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 62-13vs UL Monroe | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 38-13@ Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#35
Kalvin Dinkins
Senior defensive lineman on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 320 lb · Lake, MS · Lake HS
CFB Index 62 · #108 of 330 interior linemenLow confidenceReturning to Mississippi State for 2026
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.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
4 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 3 tackles, vs UL Monroe
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Mississippi State in 2022.
Kalvin Dinkins
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Kalvin Dinkins has been at Mississippi State through two head coaches in four seasons. The receipt: 3 tackles against UL Monroe — Week 1, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with Mississippi State3-star out of Lake HS
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Mississippi State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023
Greg Knox
Mississippi State
Coaching transition mid-career: Greg Knox → Jeff Lebby. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Mississippi State5-7HC: Greg Knox · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2024Mississippi State2-10HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
2025Mississippi State5-8HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
2026Mississippi State2-0HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 2.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
62 · #108 of 330 interior linemen
Three-star recruit. Now #108 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #12 of 60 SEC DLs
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. 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.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Mississippi State | 27 | 5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 36 | 7 | 4.0 | 3.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–13
at Minnesota
1 TOT · 1 SOLO
Dominant 25-point win on the road against Minnesota.
With K. Taylor — 227 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.8 · 86 rush yds (13 car) · A. Evans III — 6 rush yds (1 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Mississippi State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Mississippi State
Returning around him
- 2 Mississippi State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -12 net (28 in / 40 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Mississippi State · Last season: 5-8 · Talent rank #20 · 2026 recruiting class #23
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Quincy Ledet’s 2022 season.
88%match
Matches Quincy on
Hurry rate
Height
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to R.J. Jackson's junior season at UCF (2025).
85%match
Matches R.J. on
Class year
TFL rate
Sack rate
Background
Career Honors 2025 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll 2024 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll 2022-23 First Year SEC Academic Honor Roll Career Notes Played in 15 career games with nine starts … Following the 2025 season, Dinkins has 32 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and three sack. 2025 (Redshirt Junior Seas...
The defensive line · Mississippi State
- #9Jaray Bledsoe5.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #43Will Whitson4.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #35Kalvin Dinkins3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #42DJ Reed2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #97Jayson Jenkins2 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology