Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-48@ Alabama | 6 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 24-27vs App State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#4
Kevon Merrell
Junior defensive back on East Carolina's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 188 lb · Cordele, GA · Crisp County
CFB Index 35 · #404 of 544 safetiesLow confidenceReturning to East Carolina 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
3★
LB recruit
No. 1323 nationally · Signed with East Carolina
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive back on East Carolina's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to East Carolina in 2024.
Kevon Merrell
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Three seasons at East Carolina, two different head coaches: Mike Houston and Blake Harrell. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles against Alabama, Week 1, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20246 games
- Signed with East Carolina3-star out of Crisp County
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
East Carolina
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
East Carolina
Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Houston → Blake Harrell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024East Carolina8-5HC: Mike Houston · Balanced
2025East Carolina9-4HC: Blake Harrell · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2026East Carolina0-2HC: Blake Harrell · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceAscending
Elite: qb hurries (83rd percentile). Concern: solo tackles (7th 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: 5.0 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
Blake Harrell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
35 · #404 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #404 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-AAC
Based on 2025: #16 of 28 American Athletic DBs
How the All-AAC 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 | East Carolina | 10 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | East Carolina | 27 | 18 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | East Carolina | 12 | 7 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 49 | 28 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
East Carolina
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · East Carolina
Returning around him
- 1 East Carolina player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (24 in / 26 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
East Carolina · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #83 · 2026 recruiting class #94
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Syeed Gibbs’s 2024 season.
77%match
Matches Syeed on
Class year
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Drew Surges's sophomore season at Iowa State (2025).
81%match
Matches Drew on
Class year
PD rate
Tackle volume
Differs from Drew on
TFL rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Kevon Merrell
Background
Two-year letterman for the Pirates (2024-25) … Played in 26 career games … Booked 41 career stops (27 solo) with 6.0 TFLs (-12 yards) … Credited with two pass breakups … Picked off first career pass against Pittsburgh in the 2025 Go Bowling Military Bowl for a 70-yard return … Recorded at last on...
The secondary · East Carolina
- #3Zyeir Gamble72 tackles · 2025
- #13Ayden Duncanson33 tackles · 2025
- #4Kevon Merrell27 tackles · 2025
- #8Kamaurri McKinley24 tackles · 2025
- #23Josh Benton11 tackles · 2025
20 more on the roster · East Carolina team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology