Maverick Baranowski
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Four seasons in the Minnesota linebacker corps to date. One game to point at: 11 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Purdue — Week 6, 2026.
62 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
62 tackles. 0 passes defended. 1 interception. 3.5 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.
Fans first named Maverick Baranowski at Washington.
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Last game (Wk 9): 10 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-7vs Eastern Illinois | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-38vs Mississippi State | 9 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-7vs Akron | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 27-24@ Washington | 7 | 6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 20-14vs Michigan | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-41@ Purdue | 11 | 7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 8 | W 13-10vs No. 15 Iowa | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 16-23@ No. 4 Indiana | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 62 | 33 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
Oct. 31 · L 16-23 at Indiana, play by play
10 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Forced a fumble. Second quarter, down 7-3.
His game this year: taking the ball away — 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles in the 7 games with play by play.
How Minnesota’s defense played that day
Indiana’s 14 drives: 9 stopped (2 takeaways) · 5 scored. While the game was within a score they held 9 of 14. His forced fumble came with Minnesota down 4.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 6 of his 7, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Second quarter, tied 3-3.
11 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 12 for him; the box score credits 11.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception. His interception ended Washington’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. First quarter, tied 0-0. Ended Washington’s drive (int).
6 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 9, sacks included.
Week 4 · 2026
W 27-24
at Washington
1 interception · 1 sack · 2 tackles for loss
A close one, won by 3 on the road.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +24 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
62tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%4 TFLSack rate
2%1 sackPD rate
0%0 pass breakups62 tackles · 3.5 for loss · 1 sack · 1 interception.
4 seasons under P.J. Fleck — 27-20 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 6.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 9.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 7.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 8.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
P.J. Fleck
Pass share
54.3%
269 pass / 226 run
Plays / game
61.9
8 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
289 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
62 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #114 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #16 of 72 Big Ten LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
The No. 1,634 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Big Ten.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 40 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under P.J. Fleck.
CBS Sports College Football
