Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-18vs South Dakota State | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 41-7vs Colorado | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
#21
Damon Walters
Junior defensive back for Northwestern. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 195 lb · Bolingbrook, IL · Bolingbrook
CFB Index 56 · #215 of 537 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.
How he plays
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Solo tackles: 78th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
1
interception · 2026 · through week 3
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 INT, 1 PBU, 9 tackles, vs South Dakota State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior defensive back for Northwestern. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Northwestern in 2023.
- 1 interception in 2024. Then 1 in 2026.
Damon Walters
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Third year in the Northwestern secondary, same address the whole way. The receipt: 7 tackles against Colorado — Week 3, 2026.
16 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Northwestern3-star out of Bolingbrook
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Northwestern
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Northwestern
Played his entire career under David Braun.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Northwestern | 16 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Northwestern | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Northwestern | 42 | 26 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 61 | 37 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | -- |
Game log
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 34–18
1 interceptions · 9 tackles · 1 pass breakups
With A. Chiles — 273 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · 18 rush yds (8 car) · 1 TD · J. Himon II — 87 rush yds (4 car) · 1 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 1: +7 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under David Braun — 13-14 over that span.
2024Northwestern4-8HC: David Braun · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Northwestern7-6HC: David Braun · Run-leaning
2026Northwestern2-0HC: David Braun · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles for loss (16th 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.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
6%1 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
16tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL16 tackles · 1 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 8.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
David Braun
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
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 2026 production profile sits closest to Koi Perich’s 2026 season.
Matches Koi on
Class year
Height
PD rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Koi Perich's junior season at Oregon (2026).
97%match
All-Big Ten
Matches Koi on
Class year
Height
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Damon Walters
Background
2025 Redshirt Sophomore: Played in three games before suffering a season-ending injury … Tallied three total tackles and one solo tackle … Posted two total tackles (one solo) against Purdue (10/18). 2024 Redshirt First-Year: Played in 10 games and started the final five, totaling 42 tackles,…
The secondary · Northwestern
- #6Robert Fitzgerald106 tackles · 2025
- #9Braden Turner52 tackles · 2025
- #18Garner Wallace45 tackles · 2025
- #13Josh Fussell29 tackles · 2025
- #21Damon Walters3 tackles · 2025
18 more on the roster · Northwestern team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology