Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 51-10vs Clemson | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 45-14vs Louisiana Tech | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#2
Ty Benefield
Senior safety on LSU's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 208 lb · Altadena, CA · Crean Lutheran HS
CFB Index 81 · #36 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceNational watchTransferred Boise State → LSU 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.
On production he ranks #36 of 544 safeties; on reputation he is on a national watch list. The gap between those two numbers is the story.
Recruiting
3★
ATH recruit
No. 982 nationally · Signed with Boise State
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on LSU's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Boise State in 2023.
- Transferred from Boise State to LSU in 2026.
- Named Preseason All-America in 2026.
Ty Benefield
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Ty Benefield has played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. He has been named Preseason All-America (Associated Press) three seasons running, most recently in 2026. The receipt: 3 tackles against Louisiana Tech — Week 2, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
202312 games
- Signed with Boise State3-star out of Crean Lutheran
202414 games
- All-Mountain Westhonorable_mention
202514 games
- All-Mountain Westfirst
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Preseason All-AmericaSecond Team
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥇
ALL-AMERICA
All-America honors (2026)
1 mentions across the selector pool
🥈
ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST · 1ST TEAM
All-Mountain West 1st team (2025)
Badges
- Honors Badge
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Brian Kelly, Frank Wilson, and Lane Kiffin. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to LSU
2025Boise State
2026LSU
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Boise State8-6HC: Spencer Danielson · Run-heavy
2024Boise State12-2HC: Spencer Danielson · Run-leaning
2025Boise State9-5HC: Spencer Danielson · Run-leaning
2026LSU2-0HC: Lane Kiffin · Run-leaning, fast tempo
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: 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
Lane Kiffin
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
National watch / fringe AA
In the All-America conversation, short of a selector's first team.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Selector Grid · 2026
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | LSU | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Boise State | 105 | 69 | 8.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Boise State | 82 | 59 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | Boise State | 43 | 31 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 5 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 236 | 161 | 18.0 | 3.0 | 12 | 5 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 51–10
vs Clemson
3 TOT · 1 SOLO · 1 PD
Dominant 41-point win at home against Clemson.
With S. Leavitt — 230 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · 113 rush yds (12 car) · 2 TD · W. Watkins — 14 rush yds (1 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
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 Darius Joiner’s 2022 season.
77%match
All-ACC
Matches Darius on
PD rate
TFL rate
Class year
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Maverick Baranowski's junior season at Minnesota (2025).
82%match
Matches Maverick on
Class year
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Differs from Maverick on
Weight (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Ty Benefield
The secondary · LSU
- #2Ty Benefield105 tackles · 2025
- Tamarcus Cooley70 tackles · 2025
- #11P.J. Woodland38 tackles · 2025
- #5DJ Pickett35 tackles · 2025
- #10Dashawn Spears28 tackles · 2025
17 more on the roster · LSU team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology