Former defensive lineman at Georgia Southern. 2024: 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, 6 tackles.
6′4″ · 290 lb · Hiram, GA
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 story
Former defensive lineman at Georgia Southern. 2024: 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, 6 tackles.
Kristian Varner
Wins his gap play after play. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Mack Brown and Clay Helton. One game to point at: 2 tackles against Old Dominion — Week 9, 2024.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Four seasons at Georgia Southern, 1 sacks — his college career is complete.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2020–2024
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Chad Lunsford, Kevin Whitley, and Clay Helton. Multi-era developmental context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2024 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clay Helton
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2022
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Georgia Southern | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Georgia Southern | 20 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | North Carolina | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2020 | North Carolina | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 29 | 14 | 3.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2024
W 28–14
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 6 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 45-56vs Boise State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 20-17@ Nevada | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 38-21@ Georgia State | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 24-23vs Marshall | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 28-14vs James Madison | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 19-47@ Old Dominion | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Total | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2022 production profile sits closest to Michael Callahan’s 2021 season.
Matches Michael on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Anthony Lucas's junior season at USC (2024).
Matches Anthony on
Player DNA