Michael Heldman is a defensive lineman who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at Central Michigan.
Heldman disrupts the pocket from the interior. Played for two head coaches at Central Michigan: Jim McElwain and Matt Drinkall. First career honor, 2025: All-MAC. On tape: 6 tackles against Western Michigan, Week 10, 2025.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
48 tackles. 4 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 16.5 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.
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| 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 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 13 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 16-14@ San José State | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 17-45@ Pittsburgh | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 3-63@ No. 23 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 7-34vs Northwestern | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 48 | 24 | 16.5 | 11.5 | — | 4 |
Week 4 · 2025
W 49-10
vs Wagner
2 sacks · 2 tackles for loss · 5 tackles
Dominant 39-point win at home against Wagner.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
34%16 TFLSack rate
24%12 sacksHurry rate
17%8 hurries48 tackles · 16.5 for loss · 11.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Road7g | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 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
Head Coach
Matt Drinkall
Pass share
32.2%
252 pass / 531 run
Plays / game
60.2
13 games
Team sack rate
7.3%
261 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2025
First team in his league at the position.
The All-Conference 1st team honor is earned — and the box score backs it up emphatically: #6 of 420 FBS edge rushers by CFB Zeitgeist Score.2025 profile
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
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
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 49% of returning players who ranked #1–3 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 43–54%).
The No. 2,189 recruit in the country is starting on the defensive line in the Mid-American as a senior.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
The role got bigger.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC · 1ST TEAM
All-MAC 1st team (2025)
Weekly recognition
1 weekly honor (2025)
MAC Defensive Player of the Week
Coaching lineage · 2021–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jim McElwain → Matt Drinkall. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
