Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-3vs Ball State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 23-24@ Texas | 11 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 59-3vs Kent State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 17 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
#1
Earl Little II
Senior safety on Ohio State's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 203 lb · Fort Lauderdale, FL
CFB Index 82 · #34 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceTransferred Florida State → Ohio State 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.
Recruiting
4★
CB recruit
No. 106 nationally · Signed with Alabama
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior safety on Ohio State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Alabama in 2022.
- Transferred from Florida State to Ohio State in 2026.
Earl Little II
Erases the deep middle of the field. Three head coaches in four seasons, at three different programs. One game to point at: 11 tackles against Texas — Week 2, 2026.
17 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
6 programs, one constant: he played.
2022
- Signed with Alabama4-star out of American Heritage
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
Ohio State
Played his entire career under Ryan Day.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Ohio State
2025Florida State
2026Ohio State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio State | 17 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Florida State | 76 | 33 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 4 | -- |
| 2024 | Florida State | 14 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Alabama | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 109 | 50 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 4 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Earl Little II'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 1 · 2026
W 56–3
vs Ball State
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 pass breakup, +2 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Alabama12-2HC: Nick Saban · Run-heavy
2024Florida State2-10HC: Mike Norvell · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Florida State5-7HC: Mike Norvell · Run-leaning
2026Ohio State2-1HC: Ryan Day · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: passes defended (92nd 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
PD rate
12%2 pass breakupsTackle volume
17tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL17 tackles · 2 pass breakups.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 11.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ryan Day
Pass share
48.3%
97 pass / 104 run
Plays / game
67.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.8%
105 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Centerfielder
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
S
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Grayson Cash’s 2021 season.
84%match
All-Conference USA
Matches Grayson on
Height
Weight
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Zach Hannibal's senior season at Louisiana Tech (2021).
91%match
All-Conference USA
Matches Zach on
Class year
Height
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like Earl Little II
The secondary · Ohio State
- #1Earl Little II76 tackles · 2025
- #8Jaylen McClain53 tackles · 2025
- #7Jermaine Mathews Jr.26 tackles · 2025
- #6Devin Sanchez15 tackles · 2025
- #10Leroy Roker III8 tackles · 2025
19 more on the roster · Ohio State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology