Nadame Tucker is a defensive end who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at Western Michigan.
Tucker wins the corner before the tackle can set. Played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. The first career honor came in 2025: MAC Defensive Player of the Year. One game to point at: 4 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Miami (OH) — Week 9, 2025.
Play style
Bends the edge and wins with first-step quickness. Lighter frame, relentless motor.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
55 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 21.5 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.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Western Michigan | 55 | 34 | 21.5 | 14.5 | 1 |
| 2024 | Houston | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| 2023 | Houston | 7 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| 2022 | Houston | 1 | -- | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- |
| Career | 65 | 40 | 23.0 | 14.5 | 1 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 13 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 6-23@ Michigan State | 5 | 5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 sacks |
| Wk 2 | L 30-33vs North Texas | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 0-38@ No. 9 Illinois | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 14-13vs Toledo | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 47-14vs Rhode Island | 5 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 21-3@ Massachusetts | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 sacks |
| Wk 7 | W 42-0vs Ball State | 7 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | — | 0 | 3.5 sacks |
| Wk 9 | L 17-26@ Miami (OH) | 4 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 10 | W 24-21vs Central Michigan | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 17-13vs Ohio | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 35-19@ Northern Illinois | 8 | 6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 14 | W 31-21@ Eastern Michigan | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 15 | W 23-13vs Miami (OH) | 6 | 2 | 3.0 | 2.5 | — | 0 | 2.5 sacks |
| Total | 55 | 34 | 21.5 | 14.5 | — | 1 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Sack rate
26%14 sacksTFL rate
39%22 TFLHurry rate
29%16 hurriesPressure-to-sack conversion
48%14 of 30 pressures55 tackles · 21.5 for loss · 14.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 4.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Road6g | 3.8 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.0 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 4.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lance Taylor
Pass share
33.3%
304 pass / 609 run
Plays / game
65.2
14 games
Team sack rate
7.1%
324 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
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: #1 of 420 FBS edge rushers by CFB Zeitgeist Score.2025 profile
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #1 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-MAC
Based on 2025: #1 of 13 Mid-American DEs
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%).
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 · 2022–2025
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Dana Holgorsen, Willie Fritz and Lance Taylor.
