Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-14vs Miami (OH) | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 12-7vs UCF | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 27-13vs Syracuse | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Total | 18 | 11 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#12
Cruce Brookins
Senior defensive back on Pittsburgh's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 205 lb · Pittsburgh, PA · Steel Valley
CFB Index 64 · #148 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★
S recruit
No. 982 nationally · Signed with Pittsburgh
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive back on Pittsburgh's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Pittsburgh in 2023.
How he projects
Erases the deep middle of the field.
Grades highest in play recognition and speed.
The full scouting readCruce Brookins
Erases the deep middle of the field. He has spent four seasons in the Pittsburgh secondary. The receipt on tape: 9 tackles against Syracuse, Week 3, 2026.
18 TACKLES · 0 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.
2023
- Signed with Pittsburgh3-star out of Steel Valley
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Pittsburgh
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Pittsburgh
Played his entire career under Pat Narduzzi.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Pittsburgh | 18 | 11 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh | 53 | 28 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 35 | 26 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | Pittsburgh | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 108 | 66 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 4 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Cruce Brookins'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 2 · 2026
W 12–7
vs UCF
5 tackles · 1 pass breakups · 1 hurries
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 5 at home.
With G. Russo — 40.8 yards per punt · 8 punts · 3 inside the 20 · M. Heintschel — 212 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 44.1 · 13 rush yds (7 car)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +9 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Pat Narduzzi — 21-20 over that span.
2023Pittsburgh3-9HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced, slow tempo
2024Pittsburgh7-6HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced
2025Pittsburgh8-5HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced
2026Pittsburgh3-0HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: solo tackles (84th percentile). Concern: tackles for loss (16th 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
PD rate
6%1 pass breakupsTackle volume
18tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL18 tackles · 1 pass breakups.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Narduzzi
Pass share
47.5%
96 pass / 106 run
Plays / game
67.3
3 games
Team sack rate
3.8%
105 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
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-ACC
Based on 2025: #16 of 75 ACC DBs
How the All-ACC 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
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Centerfielder
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
S
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Daiquan Thomasson’s 2016 season.
Matches Daiquan on
Tackle volume
PD rate
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Nasir Greer's senior season at Wake Forest (2021).
Matches Nasir on
Class year
Height
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Cruce Brookins
Background
2025: Started eight of 10 games at safety and also contributed on special teams…Honorable Mention All-ACC...compiled 53 tackles, two interceptions, two pass breakups and 0.5 tackles for loss. 2024: Played in 12 games, serving on special teams and as a primary reserve at strong safety…totaled 35…
The secondary · Pittsburgh
- #12Cruce Brookins53 tackles · 2025
- #3Shawn Lee Jr.31 tackles · 2025
- #21Shadarian Harrison29 tackles · 2025
- #26Allen Bryant16 tackles · 2025
- #6Raion Strader9 tackles · 2025
13 more on the roster · Pittsburgh team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology