Nick Cross: DB · Maryland · #3.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Nick Cross
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Three seasons in the Maryland secondary to date. A game that shows it: 13 tackles against Minnesota — Week 8, 2021.
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
63 tackles. 5 passes defended. 3 interceptions. 2.5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 11 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-24vs West Virginia | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 20-17@ Illinois | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Wk 4 | W 37-16vs Kent State | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 14-51vs No. 5 Iowa | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 17-66@ No. 7 Ohio State | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 16-34@ Minnesota | 13 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 38-35vs Indiana | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 14-31vs No. 22 Penn State | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 21-40@ No. 8 Michigan State | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 18-59vs No. 8 Michigan | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 40-16@ Rutgers | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 63 | 41 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 3 | 5 |
Week 3 · 2021
W 20-17
at Illinois
1 interception · 7 tackles · 3 pass breakups
A close one, won by 3 on the road.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
8%5 pass breakupsInterceptions
3interceptionsTackle volume
66tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%4 TFL66 tackles · 3.5 for loss · 3 sacks · 5 pass breakups · 3 interceptions.
3 seasons under Mike Locksley — 12-18 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2021 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Road5g | 7.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 5.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 5.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Locksley
Pass share
53.3%
489 pass / 428 run
Plays / game
76.4
12 games
Team sack rate
4.7%
512 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, fast tempo.
Player standing · 2021
66 tackles in 11 games, more tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #10 at the position.
How it ended
Three seasons at Maryland, 134 tackles — drafted at #96 overall by the Indianapolis Colts.
A stat line in 26 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2021
1 coachPlayed every college season under Mike Locksley.
Next stop · NFL
Indianapolis ColtsEntering 5th NFL season
Indianapolis ColtsEntering 5th NFL season
