Zack Harden
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Second year in the Minnesota secondary. One game to point at: 12 tackles and 1 sack against Iowa — Week 8, 2026.
45 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
45 tackles. 3 passes defended. 1 interception. 3 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.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 3 tackles.
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 59-7vs Eastern Illinois | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 13-38vs Mississippi State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-7vs Akron | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 4 | W 27-24@ Washington | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 20-14vs Michigan | 7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-41@ Purdue | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 13-10vs No. 15 Iowa | 12 | 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 9 | L 16-23@ No. 4 Indiana | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 22 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 3 |
Oct. 31 · L 16-23 at Indiana, play by play
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: coverage — 3 passes defended in the 7 games with play by play.
How Minnesota’s defense played that day
Indiana’s 14 drives: 9 stopped (2 takeaways) · 5 scored. While the game was within a score they held 9 of 14.
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Forced a fumble. Third quarter, up 10-3.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception ended Michigan’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, down 14-13. Ended Michigan’s drive (int).
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 6 of his 7, sacks included.
2 tackles, including 2 passes broken up, tied for 4th-most passes broken up in FBS that week. He hurried the quarterback once.
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. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +24 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
7%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
45tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%3 TFL45 tackles · 3 for loss · 1 sack · 3 pass breakups · 1 interception.
2 seasons under P.J. Fleck, all balanced, slow tempo offenses — 13-8 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 5.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Road3g | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 7.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
P.J. Fleck
Pass share
54.3%
269 pass / 226 run
Plays / game
61.9
8 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
289 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
45 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #51 at the position.
The No. 1,049 recruit in the country is starting in the secondary in the Big Ten.
2026 is in progress.
