2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.
Will Whitson
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Played for two head coaches across three seasons and two programs. SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week in 2025 made it two straight seasons on the honors list. One game to point at: 6 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against UL Monroe — Week 1, 2026.
18 tackles · 3 sacks
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
18 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 4.5 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.
Fans first named Will Whitson at Minnesota.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 18 | 8 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 1 |
| 2025 | Mississippi State | 8 | 4 | 4.5 | 2.0 | -- |
| 2024 | Coastal Carolina | 20 | 10 | 3.5 | 2.0 | -- |
| Career | 46 | 22 | 12.5 | 7.0 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 tackle.
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 62-13vs UL Monroe | 6 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 38-13@ Minnesota | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-34@ South Carolina | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-24vs No. 19 Missouri | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | L 23-56vs No. 7 Alabama | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 0-31@ No. 22 LSU | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 15-23vs Oklahoma | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 3-31@ No. 11 Texas | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 8 | 4.5 | 3.0 | — | 1 |
Oct. 31 · L 3-31 at Texas, play by play
1 tackle, including 1 sack.
Sacked the quarterback for a 8-yard loss on 3rd and 4. Fourth quarter, down 24-3.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, 3 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Mississippi State’s defense played that day
Texas’s 11 drives: 7 stopped (1 takeaway) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 2 of 4.
2 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle, including 1 sack.
Sacked the quarterback for a 8-yard loss. Second quarter, down 21-7.
0 tackles, including 1 pass broken up. His pass breakup on 4th and 3 ended Missouri’s drive (downs).
Broke up a pass on 4th and 3. Fourth quarter, up 31-24. Ended Missouri’s drive (downs).
3 tackles, including 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss on 3rd and 17. Third quarter, down 23-21.
3 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.
6 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 3 · 2026
W 41-34
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 3 tackles
Edged out South Carolina on the road in a shootout.
Ratings of the games shown run from -24 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
25%4 TFLSack rate
17%3 sacksHurry rate
17%3 hurries18 tackles · 4.5 for loss · 3 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Pass share
45.5%
250 pass / 299 run
Plays / game
68.6
8 games
Team sack rate
10.3%
301 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive linemen who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #100 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Honored in a first season.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SUN BELT
All-Sun Belt mention (2024)
Weekly recognition
1 weekly honor (2025)
SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Tim Beck and Jeff Lebby.
