Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-7vs Lafayette | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 14-38vs Maryland | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#95
Melvin Hills III
Freshman defensive lineman on UConn's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 302 lb · New Iberia, LA · Lafayette Christian Academy
Transferred Texas → UConn for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
3 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 tackles, vs Lafayette
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 defensive lineman on UConn's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Texas in 2024.
- Transferred from Texas to UConn in 2026.
Melvin Hills III
Across two seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Steve Sarkisian and Jason Candle. The receipt: 2 tackles against Lafayette — Week 1, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Texas3-star out of Lafayette Christian Academy
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Gordon Sammis
UConn
Coaching transition mid-career: Gordon Sammis → Jason Candle. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to UConn
2025Texas
2026UConn
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Texas10-3HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced
2026UConn1-1HC: Jason Candle · Run-leaning
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 2 games: 1.5 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
Jason Candle
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 56–7
vs Lafayette
2 TOT
Dominant 49-point win at home against Lafayette.
With K. Osborne — 265 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · 90 rush yds (8 car) · 2 TD · T. Warner — 43 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 44 LONG
Game log
The defensive line · UConn
- #15Anas Luqman9 tackles for loss · 2025
- #3Esean Carter3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #94Matt Hoffman2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #2Tahjae Mullix2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #95Melvin Hills III0 tackles for loss · 2025
12 more on the roster · UConn team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology