Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 62-13vs UL Monroe | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-13@ Minnesota | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Total | 11 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#15
Marcus Williams
Former safety at Mississippi State. Career stats, games and honors on CFB Zeitgeist.
5′11″ · 200 lb · Hoover, AL · Hoover HS (Rice)
CFB Index 57 · #204 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceNew Orleans — drafted 2017, Rd 2, Pick 10, #42 overall
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.
Recruiting
3★
S recruit
No. 1895 nationally · Signed with Rice
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Former safety at Mississippi State. Career stats, games and honors on CFB Zeitgeist.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Rice in 2021.
- Transferred from Rice to Mississippi State in 2026.
Marcus Williams
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Across six seasons and two programs, three head coaches: Mike Bloomgren, Scott Abell and Jeff Lebby. The receipt: 6 tackles against Minnesota — Week 2, 2026.
11 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
How it ended
Six seasons at Mississippi State, 116 tackles — drafted at #42 overall by New Orleans.
His career
4 programs, one constant: he played.
2021
- Signed with Rice3-star out of Hoover
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
3 coaches2021–2022
Mississippi State
2023era →
Greg Knox
Mississippi State
Played under 3 different head coaches: Mike Leach, Greg Knox, and Jeff Lebby. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · NFL
New OrleansEntering 10th NFL season
#42Rd 2 · Pick 10
New OrleansEntering 10th NFL season
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2021Rice4-8HC: Mike Bloomgren · Run-leaning
2022Rice5-8HC: Mike Bloomgren · Run-leaning
2023Rice6-7HC: Mike Bloomgren · Balanced, slow tempo
2024Rice4-8HC: Mike Bloomgren · Pass-leaning
2025Rice5-8HC: Scott Abell · Run-heavy
2026Mississippi State2-0HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles for loss (20th 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: 5.5 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
Jeff Lebby
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Starter
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
57 · #204 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #204 at the position.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–13
at Minnesota
6 TOT · 6 SOLO
Dominant 25-point win on the road against Minnesota.
With K. Taylor — 227 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.8 · 86 rush yds (13 car) · A. Evans III — 6 rush yds (1 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Rover
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jordan Anderson’s 2021 season.
90%match
All-MAC
Matches Jordan on
Height
PD rate
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Jaheem Joseph's graduate season at UNLV (2025).
64%match
All-Mountain West
Matches Jaheem on
Weight
Tackle volume
Height
Differs from Jaheem on
PD rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Marcus Williams
Background
Career Honors 2025 American Conference All-Academic Team 2024 American Conference All-Academic Team 2022 C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll Career Notes Has appeared in 31 career games with 15 starts. Before Mississippi State (2021-25) Attended Rice from 2021-25 earning a redshirt in his fourth seas...
The secondary · Mississippi State
- #2Isaac Smith64 tackles · 2025
- #15Marcus Williams61 tackles · 2025
- #1Kelley Jones34 tackles · 2025
- #24Quentin Taylor Jr.27 tackles · 2025
- #28Tanner Duke Johnson13 tackles · 2025
19 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology