Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 21-24@ Troy | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 17-23vs Tulsa | 9 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 59-0vs Nicholls | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 6 | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
#33
Brian Bates Jr.
Senior linebacker for Sam Houston. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 230 lb · Centreville, VA · DeMatha Catholic HS / Delaware State / Charlotte
How he plays
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Tackles for loss: 91st percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
15
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 9 tackles, 1 TFL, vs Tulsa
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Sam Houston. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed with Charlotte in 2023.
Brian Bates Jr.
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. The receipt on tape: 9 tackles, 1 TFL against Tulsa, Week 2, 2026.
15 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Charlotteout of DeMatha Catholic
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Sam Houston
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sam Houston | 15 | 6 | 3.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 15 | 6 | 3.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Brian Bates Jr.'s 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 59–0
vs Nicholls
1 tackles for loss · 3 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 59-point win at home against Nicholls.
With L. Locke — 322 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 65.1 · 24 rush yds (4 car) · T. Burns Jr. — 1 rec · 65 yds · 1 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +3 tackles, +1 tackle for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
2026Sam Houston1-2HC: Phil Longo · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles for loss (91st percentile). Strength: sacks (84th percentile). Concern: passes defended (28th 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.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
15tackles this seasonTFL rate
20%3 TFLSack rate
7%1 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups15 tackles · 3 for loss · 1 sacks.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Phil Longo
Pass share
54.1%
112 pass / 95 run
Plays / game
69.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.8%
126 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
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 2026 production profile sits closest to Scooby Williams’s 2025 season.
77%match
Matches Scooby on
Solo tackle rate
PD rate
Height
Differs from Scooby on
Sack rate (higher)
Hurry rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Anthony Koclanakis's junior season at Colorado State (2021).
Matches Anthony on
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Hurry rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Brian Bates Jr.
Background
Delaware State 2025 Season First Team all-MEAC selection ... HBCU all-America ... played in 12 games for the Hornets ... totaled 80 tackles, 7.0 TFLs and a pair of sacks ... also forced and recovered a fumble ... season high 12 tackles vs Monmouth (10/4) ... also had 11 stops vs at Sacred Heart…
The linebacker corps · Sam Houston
- #21Dean Ford32 tackles · 2025
- #42Ca'lub Holloway29 tackles · 2025
- #26Tokyo Gordon19 tackles · 2025
- #45Eli Wallace1 tackle · 2025
- #33Brian Bates Jr.3 games · 2026
7 more on the roster · Sam Houston team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology