Zakoby McClain

Senior linebacker for Auburn. 2021: 95 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.

LB · Auburn · Sr. · #9

6′0″ · 219 lb · Valdosta, GA

CFB Index 80 · #57 of 578 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceAuburn 2021 alumnus

Recruiting

4★

OLB recruit

No. 197 nationally · Signed with Auburn

Statement game17 tackles · 2 TFL · 1 sackvs Texas A&M (FBS) · L 20-31

Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.

Fuck it, put McClain in as an outside blockerr/CFB game thread · ▲ 1His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 linebacker for Auburn. 2021: 95 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Auburn in 2018.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Auburn, 267 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

2018

Signed with Auburn4-star out of Valdosta

202112 games

The role got bigger.

All-SECsecond

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#197 national

CFB

College

Auburn

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 honor

🎖

ALL-SEC · 2ND TEAM

All-SEC 2nd team (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

3 coaches

2018–2019

Gus Malzahn

Auburn

2020

Kevin Steele

Auburn

era →

2021

Bryan Harsin

Auburn

era →

Played under 3 different head coaches: Gus Malzahn, Kevin Steele, and Bryan Harsin. Multi-era developmental context.

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018Auburn8-5HC: Gus Malzahn · Run-leaning

2019Auburn9-4HC: Gus Malzahn · Run-leaning

2020Auburn6-5HC: Kevin Steele · Balanced

2021Auburn6-7HC: Bryan Harsin · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

80All-Conference level #57 of 578?

High confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (97th percentile). Strength: tackles (97th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Solo tackles#67 / 2743 · 97th pct

Tackles#75 / 2743 · 97th pct

Passes defended#136 / 2743 · 94th pct

Tackles for loss#253 / 2743 · 90th pct

8.0

Sacks#529 / 2743 · 78th pct

2.0

QB hurries#530 / 2743 · 75th pct

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

2021 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	8.3	0.8	0.3	0.4
Road5g	7.4	0.5	0.0	0.6

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	7.6	0.5	0.0	0.3
Weeks 8+5g	8.4	0.9	0.4	0.8

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Alex Golesh

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

80 · #57 of 578 LBs

Former four-star. Now #57 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Auburn	95	55	8.0	2.0	6	--	--
2020	Auburn	113	57	5.5	3.0	1	--	--
2019	Auburn	55	32	5.5	0.5	--	1	--
2018	Auburn	4	3	0.0	0.0	1	--	--
Career		267	147	19.0	5.5	8	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 9 · 2021

W 31–20

vs Ole Miss

2 TFL · 2 SACKS · 10 SOLO

With B. Nix — 276 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 85.9 · 30 rush yds (8 car) · 2 TD · O. Chapman — 56 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 65 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 60-10vs Akron	7	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 62-0vs Alabama State	10	7	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	L 20-28@ Penn State	2	1	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 34-24vs Georgia State	4	2	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	W 24-19@ LSU	12	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	L 10-34vs Georgia	3	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	W 38-23@ Arkansas	15	9	0.5	0.0	—	2	Season-high 15 tackles
Wk 9	W 31-20vs Ole Miss	14	10	2.0	2.0	—	0	2 sacks
Wk 10	L 3-20@ Texas A&M	4	3	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 11	L 34-43vs Mississippi State	13	10	0.5	0.0	—	1
Wk 12	L 17-21@ South Carolina	4	2	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 22-24vs Alabama	7	2	1.0	0.0	—	2
Total		95	55	8.0	2.0	—	6

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Zakoby McClain

2018

202112 games

2021 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Coverage 'Backer

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