Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 36-15vs Wofford | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#12
Lionel Burns III
Freshman defensive back on Kent State's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 185 lb · Duluth, GA · Norcross HS
Returning to Kent State for 2026
The story
1 defensive back on Kent State's 2026 roster.
The record fills in as he plays.
His career, year by yearLionel Burns III
The receipt: 3 tackles against Wofford — Week 2, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Kent State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2026Kent State1-1HC: Mark Carney · Run-leaning, slow 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: 3.0 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
Mark Carney
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kent State | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 36–15
vs Wofford
3 TOT · 3 SOLO
Dominant 21-point win at home against Wofford.
With D. DeShields — 248 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 67.4 · 74 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · D. Clark — 5 rec · 90 yds
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Kent State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Kent State
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -4 net (11 in / 15 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Kent State · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #130 · 2026 recruiting class #122
Background
2025 (Freshman at NC Central) Saw action in three games, one pass breakup at Florida A&M
The secondary · Kent State
- #2Joel Cordoba66 tackles · 2025
- #3Derrick Jackson48 tackles · 2025
- #19DJ Barnes28 tackles · 2025
- #1A'tiq Muhammad28 tackles · 2025
- #12Lionel Burns III1 game · 2026
11 more on the roster · Kent State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology