Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 24-31@ West Virginia | 10 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 10 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 45-7vs Fordham | 8 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#4
Marcellius Pulliam
Redshirt junior linebacker for Coastal Carolina. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 240 lb · Atlanta, GA · Sandy Creek
Transferred Michigan State → Coastal Carolina for 2026
How he plays
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Tackles: 88th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
18
tackles · 2026
1 TFL
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 8 tackles, 1 TFL, vs Fordham
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 linebacker for Coastal Carolina. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Miami in 2023.
- Transferred from Michigan State to Coastal Carolina in 2026.
Marcellius Pulliam
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Three head coaches in four seasons, at three different programs. The receipt: 10 tackles against West Virginia — Week 1, 2026.
18 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Miami3-star out of Sandy Creek
20243 games
- Entered the portal
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coaches2023–2024
Coastal Carolina
2025era →
Jeremiah Johnson
Coastal Carolina
2026era →
Ryan Beard
Coastal Carolina
Played under 3 different head coaches: Tim Beck, Jeremiah Johnson, and Ryan Beard. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Coastal Carolina
2025Michigan State
2026Coastal Carolina
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Miami7-6HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
2024Michigan State5-7HC: Jonathan Smith · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Michigan State4-8HC: Jonathan Smith · Balanced
2026Coastal Carolina1-1HC: Ryan Beard · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles (88th 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: 9.0 TKL/g, 0.5 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
Ryan Beard
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 | Coastal Carolina | 18 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Michigan State | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Michigan State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Miami | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| Career | 31 | 15 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 45–7
vs Fordham
8 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 TFL
Dominant 38-point win at home against Fordham.
With R. Podesta — 39 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 48 LONG · D. Bailey — 203 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 30.0 · 21 rush yds (4 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Arvell Reese’s 2024 season.
84%match
NFL Rd 1 · Pk 5
Matches Arvell on
Solo tackle rate
Weight
Class year
Differs from Arvell on
Hurry rate (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Avery Sledge's senior season at Southern Miss (2025).
Matches Avery on
Solo tackle rate
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Background
2025 (Redshirt Sophomore) - Michigan State Utilized a redshirt season while appearing in four games Recorded eight tackles Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors 2024 (Sophomore) - Michigan State Appeared in all 12 games Earned his first varsity letter Named Academic All-District Recorded four tackle...
The linebacker corps · Coastal Carolina
- #55Tray Brown53 tackles · 2025
- #19Se'Von McDowell45 tackles · 2025
- #34Wyatt Gedeon11 tackles · 2025
- #4Marcellius Pulliam8 tackles · 2025
- #11Braxton Starnes5 tackles · 2025
5 more on the roster · Coastal Carolina team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology