2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.
Nick James
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. The five seasons span two programs and two head coaches: Tom Allen and Pat Narduzzi. A game that shows it: 5 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Virginia Tech — Week 5, 2026.
21 tackles · 3.5 sacks
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Fans first named Nick James at Virginia Tech.
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| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Pittsburgh | 21 | 13 | 9.0 | 3.5 | -- |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh | 21 | 7 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 20 | 7 | 2.5 | 0.5 | -- |
| 2023 | Indiana | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2022 | Indiana | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| Career | 69 | 30 | 18.5 | 6.0 | 3 |
Last game (Wk 9): 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, 3 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-14vs Miami (OH) | 3 | 2 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 27-13vs Syracuse | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 35-33@ Virginia Tech | 5 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 6 | L 17-21vs North Carolina | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 21-27@ Boston College | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 23-52@ No. 1 Miami | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 34-11vs Georgia Tech | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 13 | 9.0 | 3.5 | — | 0 |
Oct. 31 · W 34-11 vs Georgia Tech, play by play
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack. His sack on 4th and 2 ended Georgia Tech’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 3-yard loss on 4th and 2. Third quarter, up 17-3. Ended Georgia Tech’s drive (downs).
Against his own season: tied for his best backfield disruption game of the season so far.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 9 tackles for loss, 3 of them sacks, in the 7 games with play by play.
How Pittsburgh’s defense played that day
Georgia Tech’s 16 drives: 14 stopped (2 takeaways) · 2 scored.
0 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
4 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 3 of his 4, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss. Second quarter, up 12-7.
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 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 8-yard loss on 3rd and 5. Second quarter, up 17-7.
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 2 of his 3, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss. Second quarter, up 21-7.
Week 9 · 2026
W 34-11
vs Georgia Tech
1 sack · 2 tackles for loss · 3 tackles
Dominant 23-point win at home against Georgia Tech.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -4 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
43%9 TFLSack rate
17%4 sacksHurry rate
19%4 hurries21 tackles · 9 for loss · 3.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 3.6 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Narduzzi
Pass share
49.1%
315 pass / 326 run
Plays / game
71.2
9 games
Team sack rate
2.6%
345 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #150 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #46 of 73 ACC DLs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 34 games over five seasons.
The role got bigger.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Tom Allen and Pat Narduzzi.
