Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 54-14vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-21@ Kansas | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Total | 8 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#15
Santana Banner
Senior safety on Missouri's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 215 lb · Flint, MI · Mountain View (Ga.)
CFB Index 53 · #246 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to Missouri 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★
S recruit
No. 2495 nationally · Signed with Northern Illinois
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on Missouri's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Northern Illinois in 2023.
- Transferred from Northern Illinois to Missouri in 2025.
Santana Banner
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Thomas Hammock and Eli Drinkwitz. One game to point at: 6 tackles against Kansas — Week 2, 2026.
8 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2023
- Signed with Northern Illinois3-star out of Mountain View
202513 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Missouri
Played his entire career under Eli Drinkwitz.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Northern Illinois8-5HC: Thomas Hammock · Run-leaning
2025Missouri8-5HC: Eli Drinkwitz · Run-heavy
2026Missouri2-0HC: Eli Drinkwitz · 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 2 games: 4.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Eli Drinkwitz
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Starter
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
53 · #246 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #246 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #10 of 28 SEC Ss
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Missouri | 8 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Missouri | 59 | 30 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Northern Illinois | 54 | 31 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 4 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 121 | 67 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–21
at Kansas
6 TOT · 5 SOLO · 1 PD
With A. Simmons — 292 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 86.4 · 8 rush yds (2 car) · B. Reus — 50 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 66 LONG
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Missouri
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Missouri
Returning around him
- 6 Missouri players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +3 net (30 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Missouri · Last season: 8-5 (AP #25) · Talent rank #19 · 2026 recruiting class #34
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jordan Castell’s 2023 season.
Matches Jordan on
PD rate
Interceptions
TFL rate
Differs from Jordan on
Class year (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to DaShawn Stone's sophomore season at Duke (2024).
Matches DaShawn on
Class year
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like Santana Banner
Background
2025: Played in all 13 games of the 2025 season and drew his first start as a Tiger on the road at No. 10 Vanderbilt … Made 59 tackles, including 30 solo stops and a TFL … Deflected three passes and recorded his second career interception against UMass … His 59 tackles were third most on the team...
The secondary · Missouri
- #15Santana Banner59 tackles · 2025
- #1Chris Graves33 tackles · 2025
- #7Kensley Louidor-Faustin20 tackles · 2025
- #22Elijah Dotson11 tackles · 2025
- #24Nicholas Deloach Jr.8 tackles · 2025
16 more on the roster · Missouri team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology