Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 12-13@ Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#19
Braden Steely
Sophomore safety on Western Michigan's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 192 lb · Fort Wayne, IN
Returning to Western Michigan for 2026
Recruiting
3★
S recruit
No. 2691 nationally · Signed with Western Michigan
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 safety on Western Michigan's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Western Michigan in 2024.
Braden Steely
He has spent two seasons in the Western Michigan secondary. The receipt: 1 tackles against Michigan — Week 1, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Western Michigan3-star out of Carroll
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Western Michigan
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Lance Taylor — 11-5 over that span.
2025Western Michigan10-4HC: Lance Taylor · Run-heavy
2026Western Michigan1-1HC: Lance Taylor · Run-heavy, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (7)
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: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lance Taylor
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Western Michigan | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Western Michigan | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Western Michigan
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Western Michigan
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +1 net (14 in / 13 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Western Michigan · Last season: 10-4 · Talent rank #108 · 2026 recruiting class #112
The secondary · Western Michigan
- #3Tate Hallock67 tackles · 2025
- #8Jarvarius Sims61 tackles · 2025
- #18Micah Davis60 tackles · 2025
- #1Joshua Franklin53 tackles · 2025
- #19Braden Steely4 tackles · 2025
24 more on the roster · Western Michigan team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology