Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 52-16vs North Texas | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 55-0vs Howard | 2 | 2 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 3.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#17
Daniel Ndukwe
Junior defensive lineman on Indiana's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 238 lb · Lithonia, GA · Arabia Mountain
Returning to Indiana for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
3 TFL · 4 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 TFL, 2 tackles, vs Howard
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive lineman on Indiana's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Indiana in 2024.
Daniel Ndukwe
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Third year in the Indiana defensive front, same address the whole way. The receipt: 2 tackles, 2 TFL against Howard — Week 2, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Indiana3-star out of Arabia Mountain
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Indiana
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Indiana
Played his entire career under Curt Cignetti.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Curt Cignetti — 29-2 over that span.
2024Indiana11-2HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-leaning
2025Indiana16-0HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-heavy
2026Indiana2-0HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles for loss (95th percentile). 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 splits
Through 2 games: 2.0 TKL/g, 1.5 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Curt Cignetti
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.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 55–0
vs Howard
2 TOT · 2 SOLO · 2 TFL
Dominant 55-point win at home against Howard.
With J. Hoover — 145 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 75.5 · 18 rush yds (6 car) · T. Richard — 108 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Indiana
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Indiana
Returning around him
- 8 Indiana players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +0 net (17 in / 17 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Indiana · Last season: 16-0 (AP #1) · Talent rank #38 · 2026 recruiting class #29
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Javen Gibson’s 2025 season.
78%match
Matches Javen on
Weight
TFL rate
Hurry rate
Differs from Javen on
Class year (lower)
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Drake Jackson's sophomore season at USC (2021).
80%match
All-Pac-12NFL Rd 2 · Pk 29
Matches Drake on
TFL rate
Sack rate
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Daniel Ndukwe
Background
Pronunciation: Daniel N-duke-way Career Notes & Records One of 12 true freshmen to debut in 2024 and one of five not to redshirt ... First Hoosier with multiple blocked kicks in the same season since James Head Jr. in 2022 ... First IU player with multiple blocked punts in the same season since J...
The defensive line · Indiana
- #8Stephen Daley19 tackles for loss · 2025
- #95Tyrique Tucker11.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #97Mario Landino6.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #8Joshua Burnham6 tackles for loss · 2025
- #17Daniel Ndukwe3 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Indiana team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology