Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-40@ Iowa | 10 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 10 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 24-28vs Illinois State | 9 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 19 | 10 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
#57
Kimar Nelson
Freshman linebacker for Northern Illinois. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 220 lb · Fort Wayne, IN
Returning to Northern Illinois for 2026
How he plays
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Tackles: 90th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
19
tackles · 2026
1.5 TFL · 0.5 sacks · 1 PBU
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 10 tackles, 1 TFL, at Iowa
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 linebacker for Northern Illinois. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Northern Illinois in 2025.
Kimar Nelson
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Kimar Nelson has been at Northern Illinois through two head coaches in two seasons. The receipt: 10 tackles, 1 TFL against Iowa — Week 1, 2026.
19 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2025
- Signed with Northern Illinois3-star out of Wayne
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Northern Illinois
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Northern Illinois
2026era →
Rob Harley
Northern Illinois
Coaching transition mid-career: Thomas Hammock → Rob Harley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Northern Illinois3-9HC: Thomas Hammock · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2026Northern Illinois0-2HC: Rob Harley · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles (90th percentile). Strength: solo tackles (87th 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: 9.5 TKL/g, 0.8 TFL/g, 0.2 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rob Harley
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Northern Illinois | 19 | 10 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Northern Illinois | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 24 | 15 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Northern Illinois
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Northern Illinois
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -15 net (7 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Northern Illinois · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #126 · 2026 recruiting class #82
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Courtney Arnick’s 2016 season.
84%match
Matches Courtney on
TFL rate
PD rate
Tackle volume
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Khalib Johns's sophomore season at Kent State (2021).
77%match
Matches Khalib on
PD rate
Weight
Tackle volume
Differs from Khalib on
Solo tackle rate (higher)
The linebacker corps · Northern Illinois
- #15Broderick Windham11 tackles · 2025
- #57Kimar Nelson5 tackles · 2025
- #27Trey Porter4 tackles · 2025
- #8Cooper Mau1 game · 2026
- #25Brady Kerperin2 games · 2026
5 more on the roster · Northern Illinois team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology