Miami (OH) · L 27-28
3 tackles
The other 7 games average 7 tackles. This one was 4 below.
Xavier White
The three seasons at Central Michigan span two head coaches: Jim McElwain and Matt Drinkall. One game to point at: 11 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Western Michigan — Week 7, 2026.
55 tackles · 0.5 sacks
Play style
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
55 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 1 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Central Michigan | 55 | 19 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 2025 | Central Michigan | 26 | 14 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- |
| 2024 | Central Michigan | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| Career | 86 | 34 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 8): 3 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 7-38@ New Mexico | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 13-10vs Colgate | 10 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 24-10vs Wyoming | 11 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 4 | L 3-52@ No. 6 Miami | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 41-17vs Akron | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 14-31@ Ohio | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 14-21vs Western Michigan | 11 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 27-28vs Miami (OH) | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 55 | 19 | 1.0 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
Oct. 24 · L 27-28 vs Miami (OH), play by play
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
How Central Michigan’s defense played that day
Miami (OH)’s 11 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 7 of 11.
11 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 5 for him; the box score credits 4.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 5 for him; the box score credits 4.
Sacked the quarterback for a 14-yard loss. First quarter, tied 0-0.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 6 for him; the box score credits 5.
11 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 9 of his 11, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Fourth quarter, up 24-10.
10 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.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 2 · 2026
W 13-10
vs Colgate
10 tackles · 1 pass breakup · 2 solo tackles
A close one, won by 3 at home.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
55tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%1 TFLSack rate
1%0 sacksPD rate
2%1 pass breakups55 tackles · 1 for loss · 0.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 7.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 7.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Drinkall
Pass share
36.8%
174 pass / 299 run
Plays / game
59.1
8 games
Team sack rate
9.9%
192 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
55 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #298 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #53 of 55 Mid-American LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
The No. 2,960 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Mid-American.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 22 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jim McElwain → Matt Drinkall. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
