Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-24@ Washington | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-34@ Kansas State | 6 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 48-7vs Duquesne | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
#15
DJ Warner
Junior linebacker for Washington State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 233 lb · Phoenix, AZ · Desert Edge HS
Transferred SMU → Washington State for 2026
The numbers
12
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 tackles, 0.5 TFL, at Kansas State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior linebacker for Washington State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Kansas in 2024.
- Transferred from SMU to Washington State in 2026.
DJ Warner
Across three seasons and three programs, three head coaches: Lance Leipold, Rhett Lashlee and Kirby Moore. The receipt: 6 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Kansas State — Week 2, 2026.
12 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
20243 games
- Signed with Kansas4-star out of Desert Edge
20258 games
The role got bigger.
- 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 · 2024–2026
3 coaches2024
Pete Kaligis
Washington State
2025era →
Jimmy Rogers
Washington State
2026era →
Kirby Moore
Washington State
Played under 3 different head coaches: Pete Kaligis, Jimmy Rogers, and Kirby Moore. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Washington State
2025SMU
2026Washington State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Washington State | 12 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | SMU | 6 | 2 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Kansas | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 20 | 10 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
DJ Warner'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 48–7
vs Duquesne
0.5 sacks · 0.5 tackles for loss · 2 tackles
Dominant 41-point win at home against Duquesne.
With C. Pinnick — 196 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 49.9 · 76 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD · T. Hawkins — -8 rush yds (2 car)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +2 tackles, +0.5 tackles for loss, +0.5 sacks.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Kansas5-7HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning
2025SMU9-4HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced
2026Washington State1-2HC: Kirby Moore · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: passes defended (28th 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 5.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 4.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kirby Moore
Pass share
34.5%
67 pass / 127 run
Plays / game
64.7
3 games
Team sack rate
8.9%
79 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Background
WASHINGTON STATE JUNIOR (2026): Enrolled at WSU in January 2026 and will participate in spring practices. SMU SOPHOMORE (2025): Played in 12 games, totaling six tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and two sacks…added a pass breakup and forced fumble…had two tackles, including 1.5 sacks, at Boston…
The linebacker corps · Washington State
- #44Parker McKenna83 tackles · 2025
- #9Caleb Francl82 tackles · 2025
- #8Nylan Brown37 tackles · 2025
- #40Gavin Barthiel12 tackles · 2025
- #15DJ Warner6 tackles · 2025
8 more on the roster · Washington State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology