Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 35-7vs Eastern Michigan | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
NB
NiJhay Burt
Senior cornerback on Michigan State's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 188 lb · Homestead, PA · Steel Valley
Returning to Michigan State for 2026
Recruiting
--
RB recruit
Signed with Eastern Illinois
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 cornerback on Michigan State's 2026 roster.
- Signed with Eastern Illinois in 2022.
- Transferred from Eastern Illinois to Michigan State in 2025.
NiJhay Burt
Eastern Illinois to Michigan State — the move that set up everything since. The receipt: 4 tackles against Eastern Michigan — Week 2, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- portal record
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with Eastern Illinoisout of Steel Valley
2025
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Michigan State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2026Michigan State2-0HC: Pat Fitzgerald · Run-heavy, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
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 1 game: 4.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Fitzgerald
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 | Michigan State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Michigan State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Cornerback · Michigan State
Returning around him
- 2 Michigan State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -18 net (28 in / 46 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Michigan State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #61 · 2026 recruiting class #45
Background
CAREER NOTES: Fifth-year senior played in 35 collegiate games (31 at Eastern Illinois from 2022-24, four at MSU in 2025) . . . transferred to Michigan State in January 2025 and competed in spring practice . . . played in 31 games over the course of three seasons (2022-24) for the Panthers . . . h...
The secondary · Michigan State
- #7Michael Richard Jr.38 tackles · 2025
- #3Tre Bell36 tackles · 2025
- #21Nikai Martinez24 tackles · 2025
- #30Aveon Grose15 tackles · 2025
- NiJhay Burt1 game · 2026
18 more on the roster · Michigan State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology