Karson Sharar: LB · Iowa · #43.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Karson Sharar
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Fourth year in the Iowa linebacker corps. On tape: 10 tackles and 3 tackles for loss against Michigan State, Week 13, 2025.
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
83 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 12 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.
KCCI Oct 28
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Oct 27Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-7vs UAlbany | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 2 sacks |
| Wk 2 | L 13-16@ No. 16 Iowa State | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 47-7vs Massachusetts | 5 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 38-28@ Rutgers | 10 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 10 tackles |
| Wk 5 | L 15-20vs No. 11 Indiana | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 37-0@ Wisconsin | 7 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 25-24vs Penn State | 9 | 4 | 2.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Wk 9 | W 41-3vs Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 16-18vs No. 6 Oregon | 10 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 21-26@ No. 17 USC | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | W 20-17vs Michigan State | 10 | 9 | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 3.0 TFL |
| Wk 14 | W 40-16@ Nebraska | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | W 34-27vs No. 13 Vanderbilt | 5 | 3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 83 | 42 | 12.0 | 4.0 | — | 1 |
Bowl · 2025
W 34-27
vs Vanderbilt · neutral site
2 sacks · 2 tackles for loss · 5 tackles
A close one, won by 7 at a neutral site.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
83tackles this seasonTFL rate
14%12 TFLSack rate
5%4 sacksPD rate
1%1 pass breakups83 tackles · 12 for loss · 4 sacks.
4 seasons under Kirk Ferentz — 35-18 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 6.0 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 7.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 5.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 7.0 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kirk Ferentz
Pass share
36.6%
286 pass / 495 run
Plays / game
60.1
13 games
Team sack rate
6.2%
288 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2025
83 tackles in 13 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #72 at the position.
The No. 1,340 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Big Ten as a senior.
How it ended
Four seasons at Iowa, 104 tackles — drafted at #183 overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2025
1 coachPlayed every college season under Kirk Ferentz.
Next stop · NFL
Arizona Cardinals2026 NFL rookie season
Arizona Cardinals2026 NFL rookie season
