Oklahoma State · W 51-49
8 tackles
The other 7 games average 10 tackles. This one was 2 below.
“We won’t win another game without Schlimgen”
Iowa State fan, r/CFB game thread · vs Oklahoma State, Oct 31
5 stories in the last 60 days, from 6 outlets.
Sullivan Schlimgen Has Had a Dream Start to His Iowa State Career
Sports Illustrated +1 Sep 17
Sullivan Schlimgen
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Came to Iowa State by way of Washington State. One game to point at: 15 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against Arizona — Week 8, 2026.
79 tackles · 2 sacks
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
79 tackles. 5 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 6 outlets
Sullivan Schlimgen Has Had a Dream Start to His Iowa State Career
Sports Illustrated +1 Sep 17 · 2 outlets
Sports Illustrated +1Sullivan Schlimgen Has Had a Dream Start to His Iowa State CareerSep 17from 9 outlets
Sullivan Schlimgen Has Had a Dream Start to His Iowa State Career
Sports Illustrated +1 Sep 17 · 2 outlets
Cyclone FanaticIowa State LB Sullivan Schlimgen’s “full circle moment” spanned 1,520 milesAug 10Sports Illustrated +1Sullivan Schlimgen Has Had a Dream Start to His Iowa State CareerSep 17
247SportsAll roads lead back to Cyclones for LB Sullivan SchlimgenAug 11
The Des Moines RegisterSports Illustrated +1Cyclone FanaticEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
Iowa State11 stories2026 to nowMost about: profile and feature, camp and practice, in his words.
Cyclone FanaticWATCH DC Jesse Bobbit, LB Sullivan Schlimgen and DL Bryson Lamb at Monday's availabilityAug 10Cyclone FanaticIowa State LB Sullivan Schlimgen’s “full circle moment” spanned 1,520 milesAug 10Sports Illustrated +1Sullivan Schlimgen Has Had a Dream Start to His Iowa State CareerSep 17
Locked OnIowa State's new mike backer Sullivan Schlimgen talks first week of fall campAug 10
Washington State2025not trackedStories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named Sullivan Schlimgen vs Southeast Missouri State.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Iowa State | 79 | 42 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 5 |
| 2025 | Washington State | 49 | 20 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- |
| Career | 128 | 62 | 6.5 | 2.0 | 5 |
Last game (Wk 9): 8 tackles, 2 pass breakups.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-10vs Southeast Missouri State | 9 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-16@ No. 21 Iowa | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 55-7vs Bowling Green | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 17-31vs No. 15 Utah | 12 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | W 45-42vs West Virginia | 11 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 10-24@ No. 8 BYU | 10 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 3-39@ No. 25 Arizona | 15 | 7 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 15 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 51-49vs No. 24 Oklahoma State | 8 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Total | 79 | 42 | 5.0 | 2.0 | — | 5 |
Oct. 31 · W 51-49 vs Oklahoma State, play by play
8 tackles, including 2 passes broken up, tied for 7th-most passes broken up in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 5 tackles for loss, 2 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Iowa State’s defense played that day
Oklahoma State’s 11 drives: 4 stopped (1 takeaway) · 7 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 7.
A big game: 15 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 14 of his 15, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 5-yard loss on 3rd and 10. Second quarter, down 15-3.
10 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 11 for him; the box score credits 10.
11 tackles. The fumble he forced on 3rd and 10 ended West Virginia’s drive (fumble).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Forced a fumble on 3rd and 10. Fourth quarter, up 45-42. Ended West Virginia’s drive (fumble).
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles, including 1 sack.
Sacked the quarterback for a 8-yard loss. First quarter, up 7-0.
Ratings of the games shown run from -18 to +18 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
79tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%5 TFLSack rate
3%2 sacksPD rate
6%5 pass breakups79 tackles · 5 for loss · 2 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 9.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Road3g | 11.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 9.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 11.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jimmy Rogers
Pass share
41.5%
207 pass / 292 run
Plays / game
62.4
8 games
Team sack rate
5.9%
238 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
79 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #41 at the position.
The No. 1,477 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Big 12 as a sophomore.
2026 is in progress.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Iowa State
