Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 21-38vs Missouri | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#23
Mason Ellis
Senior safety on Kansas's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 200 lb · Mulvane, KS · Mulvane HS
Returning to Kansas for 2026
Recruiting
3★
ATH recruit
No. 2327 nationally · Signed with Kansas
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on Kansas's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Kansas in 2022.
Mason Ellis
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. He has spent three seasons in the Kansas secondary. The receipt on tape: 4 tackles against Missouri, Week 2, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with Kansas3-star out of Mulvane
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Kansas
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Kansas
Played his entire career under Lance Leipold.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Lance Leipold — 11-15 over that span.
2024Kansas5-7HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning
2025Kansas5-7HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning
2026Kansas1-1HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy
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: 4.0 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
Lance Leipold
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Kansas
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Kansas
Returning around him
- 2 Kansas players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +5 net (31 in / 26 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Kansas · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #62 · 2026 recruiting class #61
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Donovan McMillon’s 2022 season.
Matches Donovan on
Tackle volume
Height
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Nate Ritchie's sophomore season at Utah (2023).
Matches Nate on
Class year
Height
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Mason Ellis
Background
NAME PRONUNCIATION Get to Know Mason ... What is the significance behind your jersey number? I was number two in middle school and number three in high school. Also, my best friend growing up was number two and I was number 3. At what age did you start playing football and how did you get into fo...
The secondary · Kansas
- #3Corey Gordon53 tackles · 2025
- Austin Alexander46 tackles · 2025
- #1Jalen Todd44 tackles · 2025
- #27Taylor Davis41 tackles · 2025
- #23Mason Ellis18 tackles · 2025
15 more on the roster · Kansas team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology