Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 38-41@ Ole Miss | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 59-13vs Villanova | 5 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 41-31vs SMU | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#12
DJ Waller Jr.
Junior cornerback on Louisville's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 210 lb · Youngstown, OH · Chaney
Transferred Kentucky → Louisville for 2026
Recruiting
3★
CB recruit
No. 709 nationally · Signed with Michigan
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior cornerback on Louisville's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Michigan in 2023.
- Transferred from Kentucky to Louisville in 2026.
How he projects
Jams receivers off their route at the line.
Grades highest in speed and press coverage.
The full scouting readDJ Waller Jr.
Jams receivers off their route at the line. DJ Waller Jr. has played for three head coaches across four seasons and three programs. One game to point at: 5 tackles, 1 TFL against Villanova — Week 2, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
20236 games
- Signed with Michigan3-star out of Chaney
20246 games
- Entered the portal
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Louisville
Played his entire career under Jeff Brohm.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Louisville
2025Kentucky
2026Louisville
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Louisville | 10 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Kentucky | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Kentucky | 13 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Michigan | 11 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 35 | 22 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
DJ Waller 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 41–31
vs SMU
1 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Edged out SMU at home in a shootout.
With L. Kienholz — 177 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 64.8 · 42 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD · N. Hayes — 37.2 yards per punt · 6 punts · 1 inside the 20
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 tackle.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Michigan15-0HC: Jim Harbaugh · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2024Kentucky4-8HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Kentucky5-7HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning
2026Louisville2-1HC: Jeff Brohm · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
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
PD rate
0%0 pass breakupsTackle volume
10tackles this season10 tackles · 1 for loss.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Brohm
Pass share
42.0%
79 pass / 109 run
Plays / game
62.7
3 games
Team sack rate
4.4%
90 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Long and physical; jams receivers off their route at the line.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Press Corner
Long and physical; jams receivers off their route at the line.
CB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Roman Parodie’s 2023 season.
Matches Roman on
PD rate
Height
Tackle volume
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Ameer Speed's senior season at Georgia (2021).
98%match
NFL Rd 6
Matches Ameer on
Height
PD rate
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like DJ Waller Jr.
Background
2025 (Kentucky): Started in two games, missing most of the season with injury ... Totaled a tackle and a PBU in the season opener vs. Toledo ... Also started in the regular-season finale at Louisville but left in the first quarter with injury. 2024 (Kentucky): Saw action in seven games with…
The secondary · Louisville
- #5Koen Entringer73 tackles · 2025
- #13Tayon Holloway42 tackles · 2025
- #9Antonio Watts42 tackles · 2025
- #4Jabari Mack34 tackles · 2025
- #12DJ Waller Jr.1 tackle · 2025
14 more on the roster · Louisville team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology