Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-14vs Murray State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 26-28@ Marshall | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#12
Ricky Lee III
Junior cornerback on Middle Tennessee's 2026 roster.
5′10″ · 166 lb · Atlanta, GA
CFB Index 50 · #171 of 339 cornersLow confidenceReturning to Middle Tennessee 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.
The story
3 cornerback on Middle Tennessee's 2026 roster.
- Transferred from UAB to Sacramento State in 2025.
Ricky Lee III
Doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Trent Dilfer and Derek Mason. One game to point at: 1 tackles against Marshall — Week 2, 2026.
2 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2025
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023
Middle Tennessee
2026
Middle Tennessee
Coaching transition mid-career: Rick Stockstill → Derek Mason. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023UAB4-8HC: Trent Dilfer · Balanced
2024UAB3-9HC: Trent Dilfer · Balanced
2026Middle Tennessee1-1HC: Derek Mason · Pass-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low 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 2 games: 1.0 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
Derek Mason
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2023
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
50 · #171 of 339 corners
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Middle Tennessee | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | UAB | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | UAB | 20 | 11 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 25 | 15 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 38–14
vs Murray State
1 TOT
Dominant 24-point win at home against Murray State.
With R. Gagliano — 200 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · 25 rush yds (2 car) · 1 TD · C. Lacy — 8 rec · 118 yds · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Middle Tennessee
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Cornerback · Middle Tennessee
Returning around him
- 1 Middle Tennessee player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +2 net (20 in / 18 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Middle Tennessee · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #109 · 2026 recruiting class #119
DNA match
Player DNA
Cover Corner
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
CB
His 2023 production profile sits closest to Hunter Sellers’s 2023 season.
Matches Hunter on
Class year
PD rate
Tackle volume
Differs from Hunter on
Weight (lower)
Height (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Jahmir Torres's freshman season at New Mexico (2025).
Matches Jahmir on
Height
PD rate
Weight
Differs from Jahmir on
Class year (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Ricky Lee III
The secondary · Middle Tennessee
- Kalen Woods36 tackles · 2025
- #2Jackson Lowe36 tackles · 2025
- #7Christofer Noble22 tackles · 2025
- #15Devan Carlisle10 tackles · 2025
- #12Ricky Lee III2 games · 2026
17 more on the roster · Middle Tennessee team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology