#44

Kanye Young

Senior linebacker for Missouri State. 2025: 77 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

LB · Missouri State · Sr. · #44

6′1″ · 220 lb · Menifee, CA

CFB Index 69 · #130 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceReturning to Missouri State for 2026

How he plays

Carries tight ends down the field in coverage.

Tackles: 94th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

tackles · 2025

5.5 TFL · 1 sacks · 4 PBU

Best game: 10 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sacks, vs Western Kentucky

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 linebacker for Missouri State. 2025: 77 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

His career, year by year

Kanye Young

LB · Missouri State · Sr · #44

Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week. One game to point at: 11 tackles against Louisiana Tech — Week 14, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
recognition record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2025Missouri State7-6HC: Nick Petrino · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

69Quality starter #130 of 583?

High confidence8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: tackles (94th percentile). Strength: solo tackles (93rd percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Tackles#179 / 2975 · 94th pct

Solo tackles#188 / 2975 · 93rd pct

QB hurries#188 / 2975 · 92nd pct

Passes defended#340 / 2975 · 86th pct

Tackles for loss#477 / 2975 · 83rd pct

5.5

Sacks#847 / 2975 · 63rd pct

1.0

Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct

Interceptions#304 / 817 · 31st pct

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

2025 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	7.0	0.5	0.2	0.5
Road7g	5.0	0.4	0.0	0.1

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	5.3	0.7	0.1	0.3
Weeks 8+6g	6.7	0.1	0.0	0.3

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Casey Woods

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

69 · #130 of 583 LBs

Unranked recruit. Now #130 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix for All-Conference USA

Based on 2025: #7 of 45 Conference USA LBs

How the All-Conference USA estimate is computed

35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. 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
2025	Missouri State	77	41	5.5	1.0	4	1	--
Career		77	41	5.5	1.0	4	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2025

W 42–10

vs UT Martin

6 TOT · 4 SOLO · 1 TFL

Dominant 32-point win at home against UT Martin.

With J. Clark — 271 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 72.5 · 22 rush yds (7 car) · 2 TD · S. McDonald — 43 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 48 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 13-73@ USC	3	2	0.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 21-20@ Marshall	7	3	0.5	0.0	1	0
Wk 3	L 10-28vs SMU	3	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 42-10vs UT Martin	6	4	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	L 22-27vs Western Kentucky	10	8	2.0	1.0	—	1
Wk 7	W 22-20@ Middle Tennessee	5	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 24-17@ New Mexico State	5	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 28-21vs Florida International	4	2	0.0	0.0	—	2
Wk 11	W 21-17@ Liberty	5	5	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 38-24vs UTEP	8	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 34-41@ Kennesaw State	7	1	0.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	L 30-42vs Louisiana Tech	11	4	0.0	0.0	—	0	Season-high 11 tackles
Bowl	L 28-34@ Arkansas State	3	2	1.0	0.0	—	1
Total		77	41	5.5	1.0	1	4

How he plays

Play style

Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

13 games

77Tackles

41Solo

5.5TFL

1Sacks

4Pass def.

1INT

77 tackles. 4 passes defended. 1 interceptions. 5.5 TFL.

Week 11 PD
Week 21 INT
Week 51 sack · 1 PD
Week 102 PD

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.

2026 Outlook

Missouri State

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Linebacker · Missouri State

Returning around him

Transfer portal: +8 net (19 in / 11 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Missouri State · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #119 · 2026 recruiting class #131

DNA match

Player DNA

Coverage 'Backer

Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jeremiah Gemmel’s 2021 season.

Jeremiah Gemmel

81%match

North Carolina · 2021

All-ACC

Luke Reimer

Nebraska · 2021

81%

Sone Aupiu

New Mexico State · 2025

78%

Tarique Barnes

Illinois · 2021

78%

Anthony Brackenridge

Western Kentucky · 2025

78%

Matches Jeremiah on

Solo tackle rate

Weight

PD rate

Differs from Jeremiah on

Hurry rate (lower)

Class year (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Tarique Barnes's sophomore season at Illinois (2021).

Tarique Barnes

88%match

Illinois · 2021

Jeremiah Gemmel

North Carolina · 2021

All-ACC

85%

Tyler Murray

Charlotte · 2021

All-Conference USA

85%

Kalen DeLoach

Florida State · 2021

83%

Jake Hummel

Iowa State · 2021

82%

Matches Tarique on

Tackle volume

PD rate

Sack rate

Differs from Tarique on

Hurry rate (higher)

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology