Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 52-16vs North Texas | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#6
Preston Zachman
Redshirt senior defensive back on Indiana's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 209 lb · Elysburg, PA · Southern Columbia
CFB Index 65 · #141 of 537 safetiesLow confidenceTransferred Wisconsin → Indiana for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
3★
OLB recruit
No. 1310 nationally · Signed with Wisconsin
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive back on Indiana's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Wisconsin in 2020.
- Transferred from Wisconsin to Indiana in 2026.
Preston Zachman
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Three head coaches in five seasons, at two different programs. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. One game to point at: 5 tackles against North Texas — Week 1, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
2020
- Signed with Wisconsin3-star out of Southern Columbia Area
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coaches2022–2023
Indiana
Coaching transition mid-career: Tom Allen → Curt Cignetti. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Indiana
2025Wisconsin
2026Indiana
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Wisconsin7-6HC: Jim Leonhard · Run-heavy
2023Wisconsin7-6HC: Luke Fickell · Balanced
2024Wisconsin5-7HC: Luke Fickell · Run-leaning
2025Wisconsin4-8HC: Luke Fickell · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2026Indiana2-0HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
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: 5.0 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
Curt Cignetti
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2024
Starter
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
65 · #141 of 537 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #141 at the position.
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Brad Hawkins’s 2021 season.
89%match
All-Big Ten
Matches Brad on
PD rate
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Sean Michael Flanagan's junior season at Oklahoma State (2022).
89%match
Matches Sean on
Class year
Tackle volume
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Preston Zachman
Background
Career Notes & Records Appeared in 35 games with 20 starts over six seasons at Wisconsin (2020-25) and redshirted his initial collegiate season … Missed all of 2021 and parts of 2022 and 2025 seasons due to injury … Created seven career turnovers – all interceptions … Owns multiple interceptions...
The secondary · Indiana
- #22Jamari Sharpe49 tackles · 2025
- #1Amare Ferrell48 tackles · 2025
- #13Jiquan Sanks45 tackles · 2025
- #4A.J. Harris33 tackles · 2025
- #6Preston Zachman7 tackles · 2025
14 more on the roster · Indiana team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology