Senior linebacker for Rice. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 228 lb · Seattle, WA · Seattle Prep
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
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 9 tackles, vs Western Michigan
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Rice. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Austin Harnetiaux
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Across four seasons and three programs, three head coaches: Kalen DeBoer, Jeff Choate and Scott Abell. The receipt on tape: 9 tackles against Western Michigan, Week 3, 2026.
14 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
6 programs, one constant: he played.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Mike Bloomgren → Scott Abell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Rice
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rice | 14 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Nevada | 37 | 17 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Nevada | 44 | 21 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | 1 |
| 2022 | Washington | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 96 | 44 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | 1 |
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 31-3vs Houston Christian | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 0-52@ Notre Dame | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 21-28vs Western Michigan | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Total | 14 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 31–3
3 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 28-point win at home against Houston Christian.
With Q. Jackson — 61 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · C. Durkin — 54 yards per punt · 1 punts · 54 long
Since week 2: +9 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles for loss (16th 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 4.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Abell
Pass share
21.5%
40 pass / 146 run
Plays / game
62.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.5%
44 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #499 at the position.
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
CFB Index positional classification
The No. 1,783 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the American Athletic as a senior.
Player DNA
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Luke Hodge’s 2025 season.
Matches Luke on
Differs from Luke on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Raul Aguirre Jr.'s junior season at Miami (2025).
Matches Raul on
Player DNA
Joins fellow Nevada linebacker Stone Combs in transferring to Rice for his final season and brings 28 career games and 82 career tackles to South Main. Nevada 2025 Appeared in all 12 games ... Finished the season with 37 tackles including 1.5 tackles-for-loss ... Opened season with seven…
2 more on the roster · Rice team page