Senior defensive tackle on Buffalo's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 290 lb · Baltimore, MD · St. Frances Academy
The numbers
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, vs UAlbany
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive tackle on Buffalo's 2026 roster.
Cornell Evans
Wins his gap play after play. Four seasons at Buffalo, two different head coaches: Maurice Linguist and Pete Lembo. The receipt on tape: 2 tackles against Penn State, Week 3, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Maurice Linguist → Pete Lembo. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 21-17vs UAlbany | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 20-33@ Florida International | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 13-55@ Penn State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Total | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 21–17
vs UAlbany
Since week 2: +2 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 1.0 | 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 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pete Lembo
Pass share
54.9%
113 pass / 93 run
Plays / game
68.7
3 games
Team sack rate
4.3%
117 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Aeneas Peebles’s 2021 season.
Matches Aeneas on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Fitzgerald West Jr.'s junior season at Louisiana (2025).
Matches Fitzgerald on
Player DNA
Hoof Prints: Defensive tackle who worked his way into the starting lineup in 2024... major is communication. Redshirt-Junior (2025): Appeared in all 12 games and made seven starts... had 14 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack on the season... had a season-high four tackles and a tackle for…
16 more on the roster · Buffalo team page