#97

Michael Heldman

Senior defensive lineman for Central Michigan. 2025: 11.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, 48 tackles.

DL · Central Michigan · Sr. · #97

6′4″ · 260 lb · Romeo, MI

CFB Index 94 · #6 of 420 edge rushersLow confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamReturning to Central Michigan for 2026

How he plays

Disrupts the pocket from the interior.

Sacks: 100th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

11.5

sacks · 2025

16.5 TFL · 48 tackles · 8 hurries

Best game: 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 5 tackles, vs Wagner

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 defensive lineman for Central Michigan. 2025: 11.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, 48 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Central Michigan in 2021.

His career, year by year

Michael Heldman

DL · Central Michigan · Sr · #97

Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Michael Heldman has been at Central Michigan through two head coaches in five seasons. His first career honor landed in 2025: All-MAC. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles against Western Michigan, Week 10, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
recognition record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Central Michigan9-4HC: Jim McElwain · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2022Central Michigan4-8HC: Jim McElwain · Run-leaning

2023Central Michigan5-7HC: Jim McElwain · Run-leaning

2024Central Michigan4-8HC: Jim McElwain · Run-leaning

2025Central Michigan7-6HC: Matt Drinkall · Run-heavy, slow tempo

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

94All-America level #6 of 420?

Medium confidenceSustained Ascent6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: sacks (100th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (100th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Sacks#7 / 2975 · 100th pct

11.5

Tackles for loss#11 / 2975 · 100th pct

16.5

QB hurries#41 / 2975 · 98th pct

Passes defended#340 / 2975 · 86th pct

Tackles#649 / 2975 · 78th pct

Solo tackles#790 / 2975 · 73rd pct

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

2025 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	3.6	1.7	1.3	0.8
Road8g	3.8	1.0	0.6	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	3.4	1.0	0.6	0.0
Weeks 8+6g	4.0	1.6	1.2	0.7

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Matt Drinkall

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

our read the All-Conference 1st team honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #6 of 420 FBS edge rushers by CFB Index Score.2025 profile

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

94 · #6 of 420 edge rushers

Three-star recruit. Now #6 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix to repeat All-MAC

Based on 2025: #1 of 43 Mid-American DLs

How the All-MAC estimate is computed

49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Central Michigan	48	24	16.5	11.5	4	--	--
2024	Central Michigan	29	13	6.0	4.0	--	--	--
2023	Central Michigan	19	10	4.5	1.0	1	--	--
2022	Central Michigan	20	12	7.5	2.0	--	--	--
2021	Central Michigan	3	1	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		119	60	34.5	18.5	5	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2025

W 49–10

vs Wagner

5 TOT · 2 SOLO · 2 SACKS

Dominant 39-point win at home against Wagner.

With J. Labas — 241 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 99.5 · 7 rush yds (1 car) · N. Biggins — 15 rush yds (5 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 16-14@ San José State	6	4	1.0	1.0	—	0	Season-high 6 tackles
Wk 2	L 17-45@ Pittsburgh	1	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	L 3-63@ Michigan	1	1	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 49-10vs Wagner	5	2	2.0	2.0	—	0	2 sacks
Wk 5	W 24-13vs Eastern Michigan	5	2	1.5	1.5	—	0
Wk 6	L 22-28@ Akron	5	0	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	W 27-6@ Bowling Green	5	3	2.0	2.0	—	0	2 sacks
Wk 9	W 38-13vs Massachusetts	1	0	0.0	0.0	—	2
Wk 10	L 21-24@ Western Michigan	6	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 38-19vs Buffalo	4	3	2.0	2.0	—	2	2 sacks
Wk 13	W 28-16@ Kent State	5	3	2.5	2.0	—	0	2 sacks
Wk 14	L 3-21vs Toledo	3	3	3.0	1.0	—	0	3.0 TFL
Bowl	L 7-34@ Northwestern	1	0	0.5	0.0	—	0
Total		48	24	16.5	11.5	—	4

How he plays

Play style

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

13 games

48Tackles

24Solo

16.5TFL

11.5Sacks

4Pass def.

0INT

48 tackles. 4 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 16.5 TFL.

Week 11 sack
Week 42 sacks
Week 51.5 sacks
Week 82 sacks
Week 92 PD
Week 122 sacks · 2 PD
Week 132 sacks
Week 141 sack

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.

2026 Outlook

Central Michigan

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Central Michigan

Returning around him

Transfer portal: -5 net (12 in / 17 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Central Michigan · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #125 · 2026 recruiting class #95

DNA match

Player DNA

3-Tech Penetrator

Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to YaYa Diaby’s 2022 season.

YaYa Diaby

85%match

Louisville · 2022

All-ACCNFL Rd 3 · Pk 19

Khordae Sydnor

Purdue · 2022

81%

Dylan Horton

TCU · 2022

NFL Rd 4

80%

Bradley Weaver

Ohio · 2024

All-MAC

80%

Anto Saka

Northwestern · 2025

80%

Matches YaYa on

TFL rate

Weight

Sack rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Clayton Smith's graduate season at Arizona State (2025).

Clayton Smith

78%match

Arizona State · 2025

Jasheen Davis

Wake Forest · 2024

All-ACC

74%

Tramel Logan Jr.

Louisville · 2024

69%

Johnny Walker

Missouri · 2024

69%

Jereme Robinson

Kansas · 2024

67%

Matches Clayton on

TFL rate

Weight

Sack rate

Differs from Clayton on

Hurry rate (higher)

Player DNA

Players who play like Michael Heldman

Marvin Jones Jr.

Georgia · 2023

85%

Pryce Yates

UConn · 2023

85%

Ethan Downs

Oklahoma · 2024

83%

Shawn Collins

App State · 2024

82%

Nico Davillier

Arkansas · 2023

81%

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Michael Heldman

20213 games

202513 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

3-Tech Penetrator

Players who play like Michael Heldman