Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-0vs Charleston Southern | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-22@ Clemson | 4 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 6 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
#18
MJ Stroud
Senior linebacker for Georgia Southern. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 245 lb · Covington, GA · Alcovy
CFB Index 84 · #32 of 420 edge rushersHigh confidenceIn transfer portal — destination TBD (from Georgia Southern)
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
6
tackles · 2026
1.5 TFL · 0.5 sacks · 1 PBU
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 4 tackles, 1 TFL, at Clemson
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 linebacker for Georgia Southern. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Georgia Southern in 2022.
MJ Stroud
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. He has spent five seasons in the Georgia Southern linebacker corps. His first career honor landed in 2025: All-Sun Belt. The receipt on tape: 4 tackles, 1 TFL against Clemson, Week 2, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
2022
- Signed with Georgia Southern3-star out of Alcovy
202513 games
The role got bigger.
- All-Sun Beltfirst
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Georgia Southern
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥈
ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM
All-Sun Belt 1st team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coach2022–2026
Georgia Southern
Played his entire career under Clay Helton.
In Portal · 2026
In transfer portal
2025Georgia Southern
DestinationTBD
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
5 seasons under Clay Helton — 28-26 over that span.
2022Georgia Southern6-7HC: Clay Helton · Pass-heavy, fast tempo
2023Georgia Southern6-7HC: Clay Helton · Pass-leaning
2024Georgia Southern8-5HC: Clay Helton · Balanced
2025Georgia Southern7-6HC: Clay Helton · Balanced
2026Georgia Southern1-1HC: Clay Helton · Pass-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceBreakout
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: 3.0 TKL/g, 0.8 TFL/g, 0.2 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clay Helton
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
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Georgia Southern | 6 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Georgia Southern | 33 | 25 | 15.5 | 6.5 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Georgia Southern | 24 | 18 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Georgia Southern | 15 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Georgia Southern | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 81 | 58 | 18.5 | 7.0 | 5 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 31–0
2 TOT · 0 SACKS · 0 TFL
Dominant 31-point win at home against Charleston Southern.
With M. Johnson — 281 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 66.4 · A. Smith — 40 AVG · 42 LONG · 4 NO
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Gabriel Lopez’s 2025 season.
60%match
Matches Gabriel on
Weight
TFL rate
Differs from Gabriel on
Hurry rate (higher)
Class year (lower)
Sack rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Gabriel Murphy's senior season at UCLA (2023).
66%match
Matches Gabriel on
Hurry rate
TFL rate
Height
Differs from Gabriel on
Sack rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like MJ Stroud
Background
2025 - All-Sun Belt Conference First Team 2025 - All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team (Phil Steele) 2023-24 - Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll 2025-26: Played in all 13 games, starting the final five … Saw action on 512 plays (465 defense, 47 special teams) … Tallied 33 tackles, including a...
The linebacker corps · Georgia Southern
- #1Brandon Tyson84 tackles · 2025
- #4Anthony Bynum63 tackles · 2025
- #18MJ Stroud33 tackles · 2025
- #30CJ Allen Jr.16 tackles · 2025
- #98Uche Iloh15 tackles · 2025
20 more on the roster · Georgia Southern team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology