Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-16vs UT Rio Grande Valley | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-26@ Texas State | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#99
Tai Leonard
Senior defensive lineman on UTSA's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 260 lb · Houston, TX · North Shore HS
Returning to UTSA for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
6 tackles · 2 hurries
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, vs UT Rio Grande Valley
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on UTSA's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to UTSA in 2022.
Tai Leonard
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. He has spent five seasons in the UTSA defensive front. The receipt: 5 tackles against Texas State — Week 2, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20228 games
- Signed with UTSA3-star out of North Shore
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
UTSA
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coach2022–2026
UTSA
Played his entire career under Jeff Traylor.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
5 seasons under Jeff Traylor — 36-19 over that span.
2022UTSA11-3HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced
2023UTSA9-4HC: Jeff Traylor · Run-leaning
2024UTSA7-6HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced, fast tempo
2025UTSA7-6HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced
2026UTSA2-0HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (96th percentile). 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: 3.0 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
Jeff Traylor
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 45–16
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
UTSA
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · UTSA
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -1 net (22 in / 23 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
UTSA · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #72 · 2026 recruiting class #79
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Marcus Patterson’s 2024 season.
Matches Marcus on
Weight
TFL rate
Sack rate
Differs from Marcus on
Class year (higher)
Hurry rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Merhauti Xepera's senior season at Fresno State (2025).
73%match
Matches Merhauti on
Class year
Hurry rate
TFL rate
Differs from Merhauti on
Sack rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Tai Leonard
The defensive line · UTSA
- #35Jonathan Jones7.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #99Tai Leonard3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #88Cameron Blaylock1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #44Collins Acheampong1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #98Jameian Buxton1 tackle for loss · 2025
15 more on the roster · UTSA team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology