Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-48@ Alabama | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 24-27vs App State | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 20-17@ Old Dominion | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 19 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#11
DJ Johnson Jr.
Senior linebacker for East Carolina. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′0″ · 224 lb · Hampton, GA · Dutchtown
CFB Index 39 · #390 of 583 LBsHigh 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
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
QB hurries: 93rd percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
19
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 9 tackles, vs App State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for East Carolina. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to East Carolina in 2023.
DJ Johnson Jr.
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. DJ Johnson Jr. has been at East Carolina through two head coaches in four seasons. The receipt: 9 tackles against App State — Week 2, 2026.
19 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 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2023
- Signed with East Carolina3-star out of Dutchtown
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
East Carolina
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
East Carolina
Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Houston → Blake Harrell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | East Carolina | 19 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | East Carolina | 60 | 29 | 5.0 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | East Carolina | 28 | 13 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | East Carolina | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 108 | 51 | 6.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
DJ Johnson Jr.'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 20–17
at Old Dominion
6 tackles · 2 hurries
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.
With T. O'Halloran — 48.2 yards per punt · 6 punts · 2 inside the 20 · T. Engleman Jr. — 99 rush yds (16 car)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +6 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2023East Carolina2-10HC: Mike Houston · Balanced
2024East Carolina8-5HC: Mike Houston · Balanced
2025East Carolina9-4HC: Blake Harrell · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2026East Carolina1-2HC: Blake Harrell · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: qb hurries (93rd 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
Tackle volume
19tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups19 tackles.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 9.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 6.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Blake Harrell
Pass share
43.5%
77 pass / 100 run
Plays / game
59.0
3 games
Team sack rate
8.0%
88 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
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-AAC
Based on 2025: #38 of 61 American Athletic LBs
How the All-AAC estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. 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
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
The No. 1,751 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the American Athletic as a senior.
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Shane Whitter’s 2025 season.
Matches Shane on
Solo tackle rate
TFL rate
PD rate
Differs from Shane on
Hurry rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Terrence Williams's senior season at Louisiana (2024).
86%match
Matches Terrence on
Weight
Tackle volume
Solo tackle rate
Differs from Terrence on
Hurry rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like DJ Johnson Jr.
Background
Two-year letterman (2024-25) … Started eight of 28 career games (all starts in 2025) … Registered 89 total tackles (43 solo) with 6.5 TFLs (-12 yards) that includes a half sack (-4 yards) … Credited with two quarterback hurries … Booked at least one tackle in 23 of 28 games (multiple 18 times)…
The linebacker corps · East Carolina
- #11DJ Johnson Jr.60 tackles · 2025
- #42Julien Davis23 tackles · 2025
- #10Crews Law23 tackles · 2025
- #1Jackson Barker20 tackles · 2025
- #43Jordan Miles9 tackles · 2025
7 more on the roster · East Carolina team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology