Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-18vs South Dakota State | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-7vs Colorado | 8 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Total | 15 | 5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 |
#33
Braydon Brus
Senior linebacker for Northwestern. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 230 lb · Glendora, CA · Glendora
CFB Index 70 · #125 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.
How he plays
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage.
Sacks: 84th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
15
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sacks, vs South Dakota State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Northwestern. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Northwestern in 2022.
Braydon Brus
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. He has spent four seasons in the Northwestern linebacker corps. The receipt: 8 tackles, 1 TFL against Colorado — Week 3, 2026.
15 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2022
- Signed with Northwestern3-star out of Glendora
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Northwestern
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Northwestern
Played his entire career under David Braun.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Northwestern | 15 | 5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Northwestern | 81 | 41 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 4 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Northwestern | 12 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Northwestern | 4 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 112 | 57 | 8.0 | 3.5 | 5 | -- | -- |
Game log
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 34–18
1 sacks · 1 tackles for loss · 7 tackles
With A. Chiles — 273 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · 18 rush yds (8 car) · 1 TD · J. Himon II — 87 rush yds (4 car) · 1 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 1: +8 tackles, +1 tackle for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under David Braun — 21-19 over that span.
2023Northwestern8-5HC: David Braun · Run-leaning
2024Northwestern4-8HC: David Braun · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Northwestern7-6HC: David Braun · Run-leaning
2026Northwestern2-0HC: David Braun · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: sacks (84th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (80th percentile). Concern: solo tackles (21st 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.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
15tackles this seasonTFL rate
13%2 TFLSack rate
7%1 sacksPD rate
7%1 pass breakups15 tackles · 2 for loss · 1 sacks.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 7.5 TKL/g, 1.0 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
David Braun
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #24 of 72 Big Ten LBs
How the All-Big Ten 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
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Coverage 'Backer
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Marcus Newby’s 2016 season.
Matches Marcus on
Tackle volume
Weight
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Dru Prox's senior season at UTSA (2021).
Matches Dru on
Tackle volume
Solo tackle rate
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Braydon Brus
Background
2025 Redshirt Junior: Started all 13 games … Earned the starting Will linebacker role after primarily featuring on special teams the past two seasons ... Registered 81 total tackles, 41 solo tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery,…
The linebacker corps · Northwestern
- #37Mac Uihlein89 tackles · 2025
- #33Braydon Brus81 tackles · 2025
- #2Kobie McKinzie32 tackles · 2025
- #14Yanni Karlaftis11 tackles · 2025
- #34Payton Roth8 tackles · 2025
12 more on the roster · Northwestern team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology