Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 63-7vs Grambling | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#13
Ryan Yaites
Senior safety on TCU's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 200 lb · Denton, TX · Guyer High School
CFB Index 10 · #530 of 538 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to TCU 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
4★
S recruit
No. 265 nationally · Signed with LSU
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on TCU's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to LSU in 2023.
- Transferred from California to TCU in 2025.
Ryan Yaites
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Three head coaches in four seasons, at three different programs. One game to point at: 1 tackles against Grambling — Week 2, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
3 programs, one constant: he played.
20239 games
- Signed with LSU4-star out of Denton Guyer
20247 games
- Entered the portal
20253 games
The snaps went the other way.
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
TCU
Played his entire career under Sonny Dykes.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023LSU10-3HC: Brian Kelly · Balanced
2024California6-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Balanced
2025TCU9-4HC: Sonny Dykes · Balanced
2026TCU1-1HC: Sonny Dykes · Run-leaning
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: 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
Sonny Dykes
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2024
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TCU | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | TCU | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | California | 15 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | LSU | 16 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 35 | 18 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 63–7
vs Grambling
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
TCU
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · TCU
Returning around him
- 3 TCU players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (12 in / 14 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
TCU · Last season: 9-4 (AP #24) · Talent rank #40 · 2026 recruiting class #47
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 D'Angelo Mandell’s 2022 season.
Matches D'Angelo on
Tackle volume
TFL rate
PD rate
Differs from D'Angelo on
Class year (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kaleb Patterson's sophomore season at Illinois (2025).
Matches Kaleb on
Class year
Tackle volume
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Ryan Yaites
Background
AT TCU 2025 | JUNIOR (12/0) Played in 12 games, primarily on special teams … had one tackle against North Carolina, Arizona State and West Virginia. AT CAL 2024 | SOPHOMORE (12/0) Played in 12 games ... recorded 16 tackles, one pass defended and a half sack … registered one tackle in Cal debut ag...
The secondary · TCU
- #2Jamel Johnson96 tackles · 2025
- #10Jacob Fields90 tackles · 2025
- #12Kalen Carroll49 tackles · 2025
- #1Vernon Glover41 tackles · 2025
- #13Ryan Yaites3 tackles · 2025
17 more on the roster · TCU team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology