Former defensive lineman at Texas Tech. 2025: 0.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, 13 tackles.
6′1″ · 290 lb · Milwaukee, WI
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.
How he plays
Disrupts the pocket from the interior.
QB hurries: 88th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
sacks · 2025
1.5 TFL · 13 tackles · 4 hurries
Best game: 1 TFL, 3 tackles, at Utah
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Former defensive lineman at Texas Tech. 2025: 0.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, 13 tackles.
Skyler Gill-Howard
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Two head coaches in three seasons, at two different programs. Two straight seasons of it now: Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week again in 2025. The receipt on tape: 4 tackles, 1 INT against Kent State, Week 2, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Three seasons at Texas Tech, 6 sacks — drafted at #205 overall by Detroit.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The snaps went the other way.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC
All-MAC mention (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Joey McGuire.
Where He Ended Up · NFL
Detroit2026 NFL rookie season
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (88th percentile). Concern: tackles (13th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2025 season · 5 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 2.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 2.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Joey McGuire
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas Tech | 13 | 9 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Northern Illinois | 48 | 27 | 7.0 | 4.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Northern Illinois | 21 | 13 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 82 | 49 | 12.0 | 5.5 | 2 | 1 | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2025
W 34–10
at Utah
3 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 TFL
Dominant 24-point win on the road against Utah.
With W. Hammond — 169 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 96.3 · 61 rush yds (8 car) · J. Burgess — 41 AVG · 5 IN 20 · 54 LONG
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 5 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 67-7vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 62-14vs Kent State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 45-14vs Oregon State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 34-10@ Utah | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 35-11@ Houston | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 9 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 |
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Keenan Stewart’s 2022 season.
Matches Keenan on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Keenan Stewart's junior season at UTEP (2022).
Matches Keenan on
Player DNA