2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.
Preston Watson
Wins the gap play after play. Third year in the Duke defensive front. On tape: 8 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss against North Carolina, Week 7, 2026.
21 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 3 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 7 games with play by play.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 1 hurry.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 17-3vs Tulane | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-27@ Illinois | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 62-7vs William & Mary | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 25-28@ Georgia Tech | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 20-24vs North Carolina | 8 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 8 | W 19-16@ Virginia | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 47-2vs Boston College | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 9 | 3.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
Ratings of the games shown run from -8 to +7 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
17%4 TFLSack rate
5%1 sackHurry rate
5%1 hurry21 tackles · 3.5 for loss · 1 sack.
3 seasons under Manny Diaz — 24-11 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Manny Diaz
Pass share
46.0%
243 pass / 285 run
Plays / game
66.0
8 games
Team sack rate
1.1%
266 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #106 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #9 of 11 ACC DTs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 35% of returning players who ranked #4–10 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 31–38%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 25 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Manny Diaz.
