Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-23vs UAB | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 27-31vs Duke | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 48-10vs Southern Illinois | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
#96
Darrell Prater
Senior defensive lineman for Illinois. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 305 lb · Fort Payne, AL · Fort Payne
CFB Index 39 · #277 of 420 edge rushersLow confidenceTransferred Jacksonville State → Illinois for 2026
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
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move.
Sacks: 73rd percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
0.5
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL, 3 tackles, vs Southern Illinois
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive lineman for Illinois. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Transferred from Jacksonville State to Illinois in 2026.
Darrell Prater
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Three head coaches in four seasons, at two different programs. One game to point at: 4 tackles against Duke — Week 2, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
5 programs, one constant: he played.
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Illinois
Played his entire career under Bret Bielema.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Illinois
2025Jacksonville State
2026Illinois
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Illinois | 10 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Jacksonville State | 21 | 13 | 4.0 | 3.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Jacksonville State | 25 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Jacksonville State | 14 | 8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 70 | 30 | 8.0 | 5.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Darrell Prater'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 3 · 2026
W 48–10
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +0.5 sacks, +0.5 tackles for loss, +3 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Jacksonville State9-4HC: Rich Rodriguez · Run-heavy, fast tempo
2024Jacksonville State9-5HC: Rich Rodriguez · Run-heavy
2025Jacksonville State9-5HC: Charles Kelly · Run-heavy
2026Illinois2-1HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles (8th 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
TFL rate
10%1 TFLSack rate
5%0 sacksHurry rate
0%0 hurries10 tackles · 1 for loss · 0 sacks.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 3.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
48.8%
81 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
55.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.2%
91 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
IDL
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Chris Ford’s 2016 season.
Matches Chris on
Weight
TFL rate
Height
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to D'Quan Douse's senior season at Georgia Tech (2023).
88%match
Matches D'Quan on
Class year
TFL rate
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Darrell Prater
Background
Pronunciation: dare-ull Prater 2025 - Jacksonville State Played in all 14 games with three starts at defensive tackle 23 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks on the season Tied career high with six tackles against Kennesaw State in the CUSA Championship (12/5/25), while also adding 1.5…
The defensive line · Illinois
- #96Darrell Prater4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #17Isaiah Thomison3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #43Joe Barna2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #52Pat Farrell2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #90Carter Janki3 games · 2026
12 more on the roster · Illinois team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology