Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 41-38vs Louisville | 8 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 41-9vs Charlotte | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#11
Keaton Thomas
New school, new number, same question — and Keaton Thomas's early answer at Ole Miss is No.63 3★, national recruit.
6′1″ · 240 lb · Jacksonville, FL · Trinity Christian
CFB Index 73 · #104 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceTransferred Baylor → Ole Miss 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
12
tackles · 2026
1 TFL
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 8 tackles, 0.5 TFL, vs Louisville
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 linebacker for Ole Miss. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Baylor in 2024.
- Transferred from Baylor to Ole Miss in 2026.
Keaton Thomas
On Trialas of 2026-09-15
Keaton Thomas arrives at Ole Miss with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
12TACKLES0SACKS
3★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.63
recruiting national rank
Ole Miss fans keep putting his case on trial, week to week.
medium confidence8 sources
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
202413 games
- Signed with Baylor3-star out of Northeast Mississippi C.C.
- All-Big 12first
202512 games
- All-Big 12second
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-BIG 12 · 2ND TEAM
All-Big 12 2nd team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Ole Miss
2026era →
Pete Golding
Ole Miss
Coaching transition mid-career: Lane Kiffin → Pete Golding. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Ole Miss
2025Baylor
2026Ole Miss
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Baylor8-5HC: Dave Aranda · Run-leaning
2025Baylor5-7HC: Dave Aranda · Pass-leaning, fast tempo
2026Ole Miss2-0HC: Pete Golding · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Production sits in the middle of the position cohort across the board.
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: 6.0 TKL/g, 0.5 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
Pete Golding
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 41–38
vs Louisville
8 TOT · 3 SOLO · 0 TFL
Edged out Louisville at home in a shootout.
With T. Chambliss — 336 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · QBR 82.7 · 60 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD · D. Alexander — 5 rec · 159 yds · 2 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Sideline-to-Sideline
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to JD Bertrand’s 2021 season.
81%match
NFL Rd 5
Matches JD on
Solo tackle rate
Class year
Hurry rate
Differs from JD on
PD rate (higher)
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kana'i Mauga's sophomore season at USC (2021).
85%match
Matches Kana'i on
Solo tackle rate
TFL rate
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Keaton Thomas
Background
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS • 2026 Butkus Award Watch List • 2026 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List • 2026 Preseason All-America Third Team (On3) • 2026 Preseason All-America Fourth Team (Phil Steele) • 2026 Preseason All-SEC Second Team (Athlon, Phil Steele, PFN) • 2026 Senior Bowl Top 300 ACADEMIC HIGHLIGH...
The linebacker corps · Ole Miss
- #11Keaton Thomas99 tackles · 2025
- #12Luke Ferrelli91 tackles · 2025
- #4Suntarine Perkins81 tackles · 2025
- #49Tah'j Butler34 tackles · 2025
- #44Tony Mitchell25 tackles · 2025
8 more on the roster · Ole Miss team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology