Samford · W 33-14 · FCS
3 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack
Marlin Dean
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Played for three head coaches across three seasons and three programs. One game to point at: 12 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss against Navy — Week 4, 2026.
36 tackles · 8.5 sacks
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
36 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 11.5 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.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UAB | 36 | 24 | 11.5 | 8.5 |
| 2025 | Georgia State | 32 | 21 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | Utah State | 6 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Career | 74 | 48 | 16.0 | 11.0 |
Last game (Wk 9): 5 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 23-42@ Illinois | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 26-20vs UL Monroe | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 14-21@ Louisiana | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 24-20vs Navy | 12 | 10 | 4.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 33-14vs Samford | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-38@ Memphis | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 30-17vs East Carolina | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 10-30@ South Florida | 5 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | 2.5 sacks |
| Total | 36 | 24 | 11.5 | 8.5 | — | 0 |
Oct. 31 · L 10-30 at South Florida, play by play
5 tackles, including 2 sacks, 3rd-most sacks in FBS that week. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 8-yard loss. Second quarter, up 10-0.
Against his own season: his 2nd-most backfield disruption game of 8 this season.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 11 tackles for loss, 8 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How UAB’s defense played that day
South Florida’s 10 drives: 6 stopped · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 2 of 4. His sack came with UAB down 7.
6 tackles, including 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 6, sacks included.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 3 of his 4, sacks included.
3 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 11-yard loss. Third quarter, up 16-14.
12 tackles, including 2 more for loss, 2 sacks, tied for 5th-most sacks in FBS that week. The fumble he forced ended Navy’s drive (fumble).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 9 of his 12, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss on 3rd and 7. First quarter, tied 0-0.
Forced a fumble. Fourth quarter, up 24-20. Ended Navy’s drive (fumble).
4 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Sacked the quarterback for a 3-yard loss on 3rd and 11. Third quarter, down 21-7.
1 tackle, including 1 sack.
Sacked the quarterback for a 3-yard loss on 3rd and 5. Second quarter, down 14-10.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 4 · 2026
W 24-20
vs Navy
2.5 sacks · 4.5 tackles for loss · 12 tackles
A close one, won by 4 at home.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -24 to +7 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
36tackles this seasonTFL rate
32%12 TFLSack rate
24%8 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups36 tackles · 11.5 for loss · 8.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 5.5 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 5.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Alex Mortensen
Pass share
37.8%
199 pass / 327 run
Plays / game
65.8
8 games
Team sack rate
10.7%
234 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Surprisingly productive for a linebacker with no award recognition yet — top-1% tackles behind the line, top-5% solo-tackle rate.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #7 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 24 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 3 schools: Nate Dreiling, Dell McGee and Alex Mortensen.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to UAB
