Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 20-70@ Georgia | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#56
Kiawan Murphy
Senior defensive tackle on Akron's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 320 lb · East Hartford, CT
Transferred Akron for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
1 tackles
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, at Georgia
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive tackle on Akron's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Akron in 2022.
- Transferred from Akron to Western Kentucky in 2026.
Kiawan Murphy
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Two head coaches in three seasons, at two different programs. The receipt on tape: 1 tackles against Georgia, Week 2, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with Akron3-star out of East Hartford
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Akron
Played his entire career under Joe Moorhead.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Akron
2025Akron
2026Akron
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Akron4-8HC: Joe Moorhead · Pass-leaning
2025Akron5-7HC: Joe Moorhead · Balanced
2026Western Kentucky0-2HC: Tyson Helton · Run-leaning, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
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 1 game: 1.0 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
Joe Moorhead
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Western Kentucky | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Akron | 13 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Akron | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 19 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
Game log
How he plays
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Kristian Williams’s 2021 season.
91%match
Matches Kristian on
Weight
Hurry rate
Height
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Quincy Wright's sophomore season at Sam Houston (2024).
98%match
Matches Quincy on
Class year
Height
Sack rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Kiawan Murphy
The defensive line · Western Kentucky
- Mackavelli Malotumau7 tackles for loss · 2025
- #15Jayden Gray3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #93Rylen Sua-Filo3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #33Zeiqui Lawton3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #56Kiawan Murphy0 tackles for loss · 2025
20 more on the roster · Western Kentucky team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology