Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-13vs Youngstown State | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 17-45vs Alabama | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 | |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 |
#15
Cedric Works
Sophomore linebacker for Kentucky. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 247 lb · Dayton, OH
CFB Index 30 · #257 of 330 interior linemenHigh confidenceReturning to Kentucky for 2026
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
3
tackles · 2026
3 PBU
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, vs Alabama
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 linebacker for Kentucky. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Kentucky in 2025.
Cedric Works
Wins his gap play after play. Cedric Works has played for two head coaches in two seasons at Kentucky. The receipt: 2 tackles against Youngstown State — Week 1, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
202510 games
- Signed with Kentucky4-star out of Frederick Douglass
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Kentucky
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Kentucky
2026era →
Will Stein
Kentucky
Coaching transition mid-career: Mark Stoops → Will Stein. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Kentucky5-7HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning
2026Kentucky1-1HC: Will Stein · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Elite: passes defended (99th percentile). 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 2 games: 1.5 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 1.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Will Stein
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
30 · #257 of 330 interior linemen
Former four-star. Now #257 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #52 of 60 SEC DLs
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.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 45–13
2 TOT · 2 SOLO
Dominant 32-point win at home against Youngstown State.
With K. Minchey — 301 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · 17 rush yds (1 car) · T. O'Hara — 42 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 45 LONG
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Kentucky
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Kentucky
Returning around him
- 4 Kentucky players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +4 net (31 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Kentucky · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #23 · 2026 recruiting class #60
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Steven Shannon’s 2023 season.
Matches Steven on
Sack rate
Weight
TFL rate
Differs from Steven on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Lakota Dippre's freshman season at Charlotte (2024).
Matches Lakota on
Weight
TFL rate
Height
Differs from Lakota on
Class year (lower)
Sack rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Cedric Works
The linebacker corps · Kentucky
- #22Grant Godfrey34 tackles · 2025
- #2Sam Greene25 tackles · 2025
- #15Cedric Works16 tackles · 2025
- #8Lorenzo Cowan13 tackles · 2025
- #4Antwan Smith6 tackles · 2025
7 more on the roster · Kentucky team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology