Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 3 | W 31-21@ Texas A&M | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 2 tackles |
#3
Alex Afari Jr.
Senior linebacker for Kentucky. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 227 lb · Cincinnati, OH
CFB Index 62 · #189 of 583 LBsHigh confidence
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
2
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 tackles, at Texas A&M
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Kentucky. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Kentucky in 2022.
Alex Afari Jr.
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Five seasons at Kentucky, two different head coaches: Mark Stoops and Will Stein. The receipt: 2 tackles against Texas A&M — Week 3, 2026.
2 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
In the news
Reported by other outlets. Headlines are theirs; follow a link to read the report.
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20228 games
- Signed with Kentucky4-star out of Lakota West
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Kentucky
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coaches2022–2025
Kentucky
2026era →
Will Stein
Kentucky
Coaching transition mid-career: Mark Stoops → Will Stein. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
Game log
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 31–21
at Texas A&M
2 tackles · 1 pass breakups · 1 solo tackles
With K. Minchey — 252 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · -2 rush yds (7 car) · T. O'Hara — 42.7 yards per punt · 3 punts · 1 inside the 20
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Kentucky7-6HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2023Kentucky7-6HC: Mark Stoops · Balanced, slow tempo
2024Kentucky4-8HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Kentucky5-7HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning
2026Kentucky2-1HC: Will Stein · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 1 game: 2.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 1.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Will Stein
Pass share
43.9%
76 pass / 97 run
Plays / game
57.7
3 games
Team sack rate
7.1%
85 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
62 · #189 of 583 LBs
Former four-star. Now #189 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #28 of 76 SEC LBs
How the All-SEC estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. 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.
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Reid Carrico’s 2025 season.
Matches Reid on
Solo tackle rate
Weight
Tackle volume
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Jamal Ligon's senior season at UTSA (2023).
89%match
All-Conference USA
Matches Jamal on
Tackle volume
Solo tackle rate
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Alex Afari Jr.
The linebacker corps · Kentucky
- #3Alex Afari Jr.61 tackles · 2025
- #22Grant Godfrey34 tackles · 2025
- #2Sam Greene25 tackles · 2025
- #15Cedric Works16 tackles · 2025
- #8Lorenzo Cowan13 tackles · 2025
8 more on the roster · Kentucky team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology