Sophomore linebacker for Memphis. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 199 lb · Philadelphia, MS · Neshoba Central HS
How he plays
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage.
Solo tackles: 100th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
tackles · 2026
1.5 TFL · 2 PBU
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 13 tackles, 0.5 TFL, at UNLV
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 linebacker for Memphis. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Zach Ruffin
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Zach Ruffin arrived at Memphis from Southern Miss. One game to point at: 13 tackles, 0.5 TFL against UNLV — Week 1, 2026.
24 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Ryan Silverfield → Charles Huff. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Memphis
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: solo tackles (100th percentile). Strength: tackles (98th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 9.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 8.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Charles Huff
Pass share
38.2%
66 pass / 107 run
Plays / game
57.7
3 games
Team sack rate
5.2%
77 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Memphis | 24 | 19 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Southern Miss | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 28 | 20 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 27–21
at UNLV
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-21@ UNLV | 13 | 9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 1 | W 42-24vs Arkansas State | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 20-38@ Boise State | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 24 | 19 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 |
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Nathan Ricketts’s 2016 season.
Matches Nathan on
Differs from Nathan on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Deonte Stanley's sophomore season at Middle Tennessee (2022).
Matches Deonte on
Differs from Deonte on
9 more on the roster · Memphis team page