#10

Marcus Fuqua

Former safety at Buffalo. 2024: 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, 55 tackles.

S · Buffalo · Sr. · #10

6′0″ · 195 lb · Southfield, MI

CFB Index 55 · #222 of 537 safetiesMedium confidenceBuffalo 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

2★

S recruit

No. 2779 nationally · Signed with Buffalo

Statement game3 INTvs Toledo (FBS) · W 34-27

Top 0.1% interceptions game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former safety at Buffalo. 2024: 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, 55 tackles.

Signed as a 2-star recruit to Buffalo in 2019.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Six seasons at Buffalo, 234 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2022) — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2019

Signed with Buffalo2-star out of Southfield

202212 games

The role got bigger.

All-MACfirst

Career arc

Recruit

★★

#2779 national

CFB

College

Buffalo

2019–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

4 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-MAC · 1ST TEAM

All-MAC 1st team (2022)

Coaching lineage · 2019–2024

2 coaches

2019–2020

Lance Leipold

Buffalo

2021–2024

Maurice Linguist

Buffalo

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Lance Leipold → Maurice Linguist. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2019Buffalo8-5HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy

2020Buffalo6-1HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy, fast tempo

2021Buffalo4-8HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning

2022Buffalo7-6HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning

2023Buffalo3-9HC: Maurice Linguist · Balanced

2024Buffalo9-4HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-heavy

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

55Quality starter #222 of 537?

Medium confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (84th percentile). Strength: tackles (83rd percentile). Concern: qb hurries (23rd percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Solo tackles#460 / 2892 · 84th pct

Tackles#488 / 2892 · 83rd pct

Passes defended#755 / 2892 · 67th pct

Tackles for loss#900 / 2892 · 66th pct

3.5

Interceptions#314 / 862 · 32nd pct

Sacks#1455 / 2892 · 25th pct

0.0

QB hurries#1536 / 2892 · 23rd pct

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

2024 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home4g	5.0	0.5	0.0	0.2
Road7g	5.0	0.2	0.0	0.1

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-75g	5.0	0.2	0.0	0.2
Weeks 8+6g	5.0	0.4	0.0	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Pete Lembo

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

55 · #222 of 537 safeties

Two-star recruit. Now #222 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Buffalo	55	32	3.5	2	1	--
2023	Buffalo	51	32	3.0	1	--	--
2022	Buffalo	59	33	2.5	5	5	--
2021	Buffalo	59	31	1.5	3	--	--
2020	Buffalo	9	7	0.0	--	1	--
2019	Buffalo	1	--	0.0	--	--	--
Career		234	135	10.5	11	7	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2024

W 30–13

vs Lafayette

4 SOLO · 7 TOT · 1 TFL

With E. Duane — 42 AVG · 58 LONG · 5 NO · C. Ogbonna — 195 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 14.8 · 20 rush yds (5 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 30-13vs Lafayette	7	4	1.0	—	0
Wk 2	L 0-38@ Missouri	4	0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 23-20@ Northern Illinois	1	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	L 3-47@ UConn	9	6	0.0	—	0	Season-high 9 tackles
Wk 8	L 41-48vs Western Michigan	9	5	1.0	—	1
Wk 9	L 16-47@ Ohio	7	5	1.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 41-30@ Akron	2	1	0.0	1	0
Wk 12	W 51-48vs Ball State	1	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	W 37-20@ Eastern Michigan	8	4	0.5	—	0
Wk 14	W 43-7vs Kent State	3	3	0.0	—	0
Bowl	W 26-7@ Liberty	4	2	0.0	—	1
Total		55	32	3.5	1	2

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Marcus Fuqua

2019

202212 games

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Box Safety

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