Mikai Gbayor
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for three head coaches at three programs in four seasons: Matt Rhule, Bill Belichick and Mike Norvell. The first career honor came in 2025: ACC Linebacker Player of the Week. One game to point at: 6 tackles and 1 sack against Virginia — Week 5, 2026.
35 tackles · 3 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
35 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 6 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 Mikai Gbayor vs SMU.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Florida State | 35 | 19 | 6.0 | 3.0 | -- |
| 2025 | North Carolina | 36 | 16 | 2.5 | 1.0 | -- |
| 2024 | Nebraska | 49 | 20 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 2023 | Nebraska | 24 | 11 | 3.0 | 0.5 | -- |
| Career | 144 | 66 | 17.5 | 5.5 | 3 |
Last game (Wk 9): 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack.
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 34-17vs New Mexico State | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | L 24-27vs No. 19 SMU | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 36-50@ No. 10 Alabama | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 34-7vs Central Arkansas | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 38-7vs Virginia | 6 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 20-44@ Louisville | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 35-43@ No. 3 Miami | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 24-36vs Clemson | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 19 | 6.0 | 3.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 31 · L 24-36 vs Clemson, play by play
4 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 5 for him; the box score credits 4.
Sacked the quarterback for a 2-yard loss on 3rd and 14. First quarter, tied 7-7.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 6 tackles for loss, 3 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Florida State’s defense played that day
Clemson’s 13 drives: 5 stopped · 8 scored. While the game was within a score they held 2 of 7. His sack came with the game tied.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss. Third quarter, up 31-7.
6 tackles, including 2 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 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.
3 tackles.
4 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss. Second quarter, up 10-7.
Week 5 · 2026
W 38-7
vs Virginia
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 6 tackles
Dominant 31-point win at home against Virginia.
Ratings of the games shown run from -13 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
35tackles this seasonTFL rate
17%6 TFLSack rate
9%3 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups35 tackles · 6 for loss · 3 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 4.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Norvell
Pass share
43.1%
219 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
63.5
8 games
Team sack rate
8.2%
257 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #119 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Played for three programs.
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
5 coachesPlayed for 5 head coaches at 3 schools: Scott Frost, Mickey Joseph, Matt Rhule, Bill Belichick and Mike Norvell.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Florida State
