Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 41-43vs The Citadel | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 9-41@ Ole Miss | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 21-26@ App State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#12
CJ Clinkscales
Senior defensive back on Charlotte's 2026 roster.
5′8″ · 175 lb · Buford, GA
CFB Index 37 · #389 of 544 safetiesLow 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.
Recruiting
3★
ATH recruit
No. 1261 nationally · Signed with Boston College
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive back on Charlotte's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Boston College in 2022.
- Transferred from Boston College to Charlotte in 2024.
CJ Clinkscales
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Three head coaches in four seasons, at two different programs. The receipt on tape: 2 tackles against Ole Miss, Week 2, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2022
- Signed with Boston College3-star out of Buford
20243 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
Biff Poggi
Charlotte
Coaching transition mid-career: Biff Poggi → Tim Albin. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Charlotte | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Charlotte | 49 | 40 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Charlotte | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Boston College | 14 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| Career | 77 | 60 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
CJ Clinkscales'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.
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 tackle.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Boston College7-6HC: Jeff Hafley · Run-leaning
2024Charlotte5-7HC: Biff Poggi · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Charlotte1-11HC: Tim Albin · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Charlotte0-3HC: Tim Albin · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles (0th 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.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tim Albin
Pass share
53.6%
104 pass / 90 run
Plays / game
64.7
3 games
Team sack rate
2.7%
113 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
37 · #389 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #389 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-AAC
Based on 2025: #14 of 28 American Athletic DBs
How the All-AAC estimate is computed
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. 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
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tori Mulkey’s 2024 season.
Matches Tori on
Height
PD rate
Weight
Differs from Tori on
Class year (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Avery Powell's junior season at Temple (2025).
74%match
Matches Avery on
Weight
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Differs from Avery on
Height (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like CJ Clinkscales
The secondary · Charlotte
- #12CJ Clinkscales49 tackles · 2025
- Collin Gill35 tackles · 2025
- #3Dy'Lon Womack10 tackles · 2025
- #28Cornell Allen3 tackles · 2025
- #1Jameel Croft1 tackle · 2025
17 more on the roster · Charlotte team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology