Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 24-45vs UCLA | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 2 | W 21-18@ Syracuse | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 49-7vs Wagner | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
#96
Derek Wilkins
Redshirt senior defensive lineman on California's 2026 roster.
6′5″ · 310 lb · Irvine, CA · Santa Margarita Catholic HS
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, vs UCLA
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Redshirt senior defensive lineman on California's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to California in 2021.
Derek Wilkins
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Derek Wilkins has been at California through two head coaches in five seasons. The receipt on tape: 2 tackles against Syracuse, Week 2, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2021
- Signed with California4-star out of Santa Margarita Catholic
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
California
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Justin Wilcox → Tosh Lupoi. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | California | 4 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | California | 12 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | California | 12 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | California | 8 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | California | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 38 | 15 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 10 | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Derek Wilkins'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 49–7
vs Wagner
1 tackles · 1 hurries
Dominant 42-point win at home against Wagner.
With J. Sagapolutele — 413 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 64.3 · A. Mohammed — 91 rush yds (13 car) · 2 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 tackle, +1 hurry.
Season context · Team result + system
2021California5-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Balanced
2023California6-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Run-leaning
2024California6-7HC: Justin Wilcox · Balanced
2025California7-6HC: Justin Wilcox · Pass-leaning
2026California2-1HC: Tosh Lupoi · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: passes defended (92nd 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
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Road1g | 2.0 | 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 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tosh Lupoi
Pass share
57.9%
124 pass / 90 run
Plays / game
71.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.2%
138 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
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 2025 production profile sits closest to Kevin Hester Jr.’s 2023 season.
87%match
Matches Kevin on
Sack rate
Weight
Hurry rate
Differs from Kevin on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Asani Redwood's senior season at West Virginia (2025).
73%match
Matches Asani on
Class year
Hurry rate
Weight
Differs from Asani on
Height (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Derek Wilkins
Background
Accolades - Academic 2025 ACC Academic Honor Roll Redshirt Senior (2025) Appeared in all 11 games and made two starts. Made his first collegiate start against Louisville. Started against Stanford in Big Game. Made 12 tackles and added a QB hurry. Had a season-high three tackles against Hawai'i…
The defensive line · California
- #55BJ Canady1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #96Derek Wilkins0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #94Stanley McKenzie0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #51Jayden Williams0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #44Jericho Johnson0 tackles for loss · 2025
10 more on the roster · California team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology