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 | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 38-13@ Minnesota | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#3
Kendel Dolby
Senior safety on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 195 lb · Springfield, OH · Springfield HS (Oklahoma)
CFB Index 74 · #72 of 538 safetiesMedium confidenceTransferred Oklahoma → 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.
Recruiting
4★
CB recruit
No. 7 nationally · Joined Oklahoma
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Oklahoma in 2023.
- Transferred from Oklahoma to Mississippi State in 2026.
Kendel Dolby
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Brent Venables and Jeff Lebby. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles against UL Monroe, Week 1, 2026.
8 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
4 programs, one constant: he played.
202312 games
- Signed with Oklahoma4-star out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
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.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Mississippi State
2025Oklahoma
2026Mississippi State
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Oklahoma10-3HC: Brent Venables · Balanced
2024Oklahoma6-7HC: Brent Venables · Run-leaning
2025Oklahoma10-3HC: Brent Venables · Balanced
2026Mississippi State2-0HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium 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: 4.0 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 · 2023
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
74 · #72 of 538 safeties
Former four-star. Now #72 at the position.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Oklahoma | 9 | 8 | 2.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Oklahoma | 10 | 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Oklahoma | 49 | 33 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 4 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 76 | 51 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 5 | 2 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–13
at Minnesota
2 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
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Rover
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
S
His 2023 production profile sits closest to Jeremiah Lewis’s 2023 season.
Matches Jeremiah on
Class year
TFL rate
PD rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Meki Pei's freshman season at Hawai'i (2022).
86%match
Matches Meki on
Class year
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like Kendel Dolby
Background
Career Honors 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 Career Notes Has played in 20 career games with 7 starts … Graduated from Oklahoma in December 2024 with a degree in multidisciplinary studies ... Pursuing a second bachelor's degree in human relations. Before Mississippi State (2022-25) Attended Ok...
The secondary · Mississippi State
- #2Isaac Smith64 tackles · 2025
- #15Marcus Williams61 tackles · 2025
- #1Kelley Jones34 tackles · 2025
- #24Quentin Taylor Jr.27 tackles · 2025
- #3Kendel Dolby9 tackles · 2025
19 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology