Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| 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 | |
| Total | 9 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#43
Will Whitson
Senior defensive lineman on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
6′5″ · 295 lb · Cincinnati, OH · Winton Woods HS (Coastal Carolina)
Returning to Mississippi State for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
1.5 TFL · 9 tackles · 1 hurries
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 TFL, 3 tackles, at Minnesota
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Coastal Carolina in 2023.
Will Whitson
Wins his gap play after play. Will Whitson has 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, 0.5 TFL against UL Monroe — Week 1, 2026.
9 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
2023
- Signed with Coastal Carolina3-star out of Independence C.C.
20244 games
- All-Sun Belt
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-SUN BELT
All-Sun Belt mention (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Mississippi State
Played his entire career under Jeff Lebby.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Coastal Carolina6-7HC: Tim Beck · Run-leaning
2025Mississippi State5-8HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
2026Mississippi State2-0HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (83rd 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: 4.5 TKL/g, 0.8 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 9 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Mississippi State | 8 | 4 | 4.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Coastal Carolina | 20 | 10 | 3.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 37 | 17 | 9.5 | 4.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 38–13
at Minnesota
3 TOT · 2 SOLO · 1 TFL
Dominant 25-point win on the road against Minnesota.
With K. Taylor — 227 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.8 · 86 rush yds (13 car) · A. Evans III — 6 rush yds (1 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Mississippi State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Mississippi State
Returning around him
- 2 Mississippi State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -12 net (28 in / 40 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Mississippi State · Last season: 5-8 · Talent rank #20 · 2026 recruiting class #23
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Darius Robinson’s 2022 season.
94%match
NFL Rd 1 · Pk 27
Matches Darius on
Sack rate
Weight
Height
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Shemar Turner's freshman season at Texas A&M (2021).
81%match
All-SECNFL Rd 2 · Pk 30
Matches Shemar on
Weight
Sack rate
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Will Whitson
Background
Career Honors 2025 SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (Wk 1 at Southern Miss) 2025 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 Watch List 2025 Shrine Bowl 1000 Career Notes Played in 19 career games with 14 starts … Transferred to Mississippi State from Coastal Carolina ahead of the 2025 season … Following the 202...
The defensive line · Mississippi State
- #9Jaray Bledsoe5.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #43Will Whitson4.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #35Kalvin Dinkins3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #42DJ Reed2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #97Jayson Jenkins2 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology