Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 48-10vs East Carolina | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 45-17@ Kentucky | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 |
#42
Yhonzae Pierre
Senior linebacker for Alabama. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 251 lb · Eufaula, AL · Eufaula
CFB Index 88 · #22 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceReturning to Alabama 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.
The numbers
4
tackles · 2026
1 TFL · 1 sacks · 1 PBU
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sacks, vs East Carolina
Statement game6 tackles · 3 TFL · 3 sacksvs Tennessee (FBS) · W 37-20
Top 1% sacks game since 2021.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 linebacker for Alabama. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 5-star recruit to Alabama in 2023.
Buzz vs Tape
Fans hotter than the country
His own fans read him warmer than the wider college football conversation does — a gap of 25.4 points in belief.
25.4own fans
0national conversation
In Their Words
233 windows · 2026 fan posts
yhonzae×568.6hubbard×153.1bray×119.5devan×153.1lee×38.7touchdown×20.7return×15.2williams×9.7
“Yhonzae Pierre did an interview today and said he will choose the Quarterback Austin Mack as a captain of the team”
youtube/BAMA FOOTBALL ON YOUTUBE WITH KYLE HENDERSON · fan post, verbatim
Yhonzae Pierre
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. He has spent three seasons in the Alabama linebacker corps. His first career honor landed in 2025: SEC Defensive Player of the Week. The receipt: 3 tackles, 1 sacks against East Carolina — Week 1, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
2023
- Signed with Alabama5-star out of Eufaula
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★★
CFB
College
Alabama
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Alabama
Played his entire career under Kalen DeBoer.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Kalen DeBoer — 22-8 over that span.
2024Alabama9-4HC: Kalen DeBoer · Run-leaning
2025Alabama11-4HC: Kalen DeBoer · Balanced
2026Alabama2-0HC: Kalen DeBoer · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: sacks (87th percentile). Strength: qb hurries (83rd percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (7)
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: 2.0 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kalen DeBoer
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
our read surprisingly productive for a linebacker with no award recognition yet — top-1% tackles behind the line, top-2% solo-tackle rate.2025 profile
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
88 · #22 of 583 LBs
Former five-star. Now #22 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #4 of 76 SEC LBs
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
One of 52 players who were elite at two different things in 2025. See the others ›
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 45–17
at Kentucky
1 TOT · 1 SOLO · 1 PD
Dominant 28-point win on the road against Kentucky.
With K. Russell — 188 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 38.9 · -9 rush yds (8 car) · D. Hill — 104 rush yds (18 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Alabama
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Alabama
Returning around him
- 10 Alabama players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -7 net (17 in / 24 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Alabama · Last season: 11-4 (AP #11) · Talent rank #4 · 2026 recruiting class #2
DNA match
Player DNA
Thumper
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jack Kelly’s 2025 season.
64%match
All-Big 12
Matches Jack on
TFL rate
Weight
Differs from Jack on
Class year (lower)
Sack rate (lower)
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kayvon Thibodeaux's sophomore season at Oregon (2021).
76%match
Consensus All-AmericanNFL Rd 1 · Pk 5
Matches Kayvon on
Tackle volume
Sack rate
Solo tackle rate
Differs from Kayvon on
Height (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Yhonzae Pierre
Background
NIL Opportunities 2025 Blossomed into the Tide's top pass-rusher ... worked in all 15 games with 12 starts ... recorded 52 stops, including a team-high 14.5 for loss (-102 yards) and eight sacks (-81 yards) ... also added a team-leading nine quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles to go with...
The linebacker corps · Alabama
- #7Caleb Woodson57 tackles · 2025
- Yhonzae Pierre52 tackles · 2025
- #9Desmond Umeozulu19 tackles · 2025
- #8Justin Hill10 tackles · 2025
- #23Cayden Jones8 tackles · 2025
12 more on the roster · Alabama team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology