2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.
Zeion Simpson-Smith
Wins the gap play after play. Two seasons in the Middle Tennessee defensive front to date. On tape: 8 tackles against Marshall, Week 2, 2026.
28 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
28 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 2 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.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 2 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Middle Tennessee | 28 | 11 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| 2025 | Middle Tennessee | 19 | 12 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 47 | 23 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
Last game (Wk 9): 2 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 38-14vs Murray State | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 26-28@ Marshall | 8 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 27-20vs Nevada | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 13-23@ Jacksonville State | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 0-55@ Kansas | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 33-30vs Delaware | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 26-23@ Florida International | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 28-44vs Kennesaw State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 11 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
Ratings of the games shown run from -14 to +3 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
7%2 TFLSack rate
4%1 sackHurry rate
4%1 hurry28 tackles · 2 for loss · 1 sack.
2 seasons under Derek Mason — 7-13 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 4.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Derek Mason
Pass share
53.0%
259 pass / 230 run
Plays / game
61.1
8 games
Team sack rate
2.8%
283 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
28 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #92 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Conference USA
Based on 2025: #6 of 11 Conference USA DTs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 35% of returning players who ranked #4–10 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 31–38%).
The No. 2,194 recruit in the country is starting on the defensive line in the Conference USA as a redshirt sophomore.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Derek Mason.
