Former linebacker at Wisconsin. 2021: 96 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 8 sacks.
6′2″ · 257 lb · Grantsburg, WI
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.
On production he ranks #198 of 578 LBs; on reputation he is an All-American. The gap between those two numbers is the story.
Recruiting
ATH recruit
No. 635 nationally · Signed with Grantsburg
Statement game9 tackles · 5.5 TFL · 3.5 sacksat Purdue (FBS) · W 30-13
Top 0.1% tackles for loss game since 2021.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Former linebacker at Wisconsin. 2021: 96 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 8 sacks.
Leo Chenal
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. He has spent three seasons in the Wisconsin linebacker corps. In 2021 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-America (AFCA). The receipt on tape: 17 tackles, 2.5 TFL against Army, Week 7, 2021.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Three seasons at Wisconsin, 156 tackles, an All-American season (2021) — drafted at #103 overall by Kansas City.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-AMERICA
Named All-American (2021)
1 selectors honored him
ALL-BIG TEN · 1ST TEAM
All-Big Ten 1st team (2021)
Coaching lineage · 2019–2021
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Paul Chryst.
Where He Ended Up · NFL
Kansas CityEntering 5th NFL season
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Paul Chryst — 23-11 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles for loss (100th percentile). Strength: sacks (98th percentile). Concern: passes defended (19th 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
2021 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 11.8 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 9.3 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 10.0 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 11.4 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Luke Fickell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2021
Named to an All-America team by a recognized selector.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #198 at the position.
Selector Grid · 2021
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 8 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 4 | L 13-41vs Notre Dame | 8 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 24-0@ Illinois | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 20-14vs Army | 17 | 8 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 17 tackles |
| Wk 8 | W 30-13@ Purdue | 9 | 8 | 5.5 | 3.5 | — | 0 | 3.5 sacks |
| Wk 9 | W 27-7vs Iowa | 9 | 4 | 2.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 35-7vs Northwestern | 14 | 9 | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 3.0 TFL |
| Wk 12 | W 35-28vs Nebraska | 11 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 13-23@ Minnesota | 14 | 8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 87 | 51 | 16.5 | 7.0 | — | 0 |
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
87 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 16.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Player DNA
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
His 2021 production profile sits closest to Diego Fagot’s 2020 season.
Matches Diego on
Differs from Diego on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Dylan Labarbera's junior season at Nevada (2025).
Matches Dylan on
Player DNA