Sophomore defensive lineman for Memphis. 2026: 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, 21 tackles.
6′3″ · 256 lb · Oradell, NJ · Bergen Catholic HS
The numbers
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
Best game: 2.5 sacks, 2.5 TFL, 8 tackles, at UNLV
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Sophomore defensive lineman for Memphis. 2026: 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, 21 tackles.
Elijah Kinsler
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Two head coaches in two seasons, at two different programs. One game to point at: 8 tackles, 2.5 sacks against UNLV — Week 1, 2026.
21 TACKLES · 3.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Ryan Silverfield → Charles Huff. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Memphis
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Memphis | 21 | 13 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | West Virginia | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 23 | 14 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 4 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-21@ UNLV | 8 | 6 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 1 | W 42-24vs Arkansas State | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 20-38@ Boise State | 7 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 45-21vs UT Martin | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 21 | 13 | 4.5 | 3.5 | — | 1 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 45–21
vs UT Martin
3 tackles · 1 pass breakups · 2 solo tackles
Dominant 24-point win at home against UT Martin.
With M. Stokes — 258 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 80.4 · 2 rush yds (3 car) · J. Thompson — 110 rush yds (6 car) · 1 TD
Since week 2: +3 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (100th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (98th percentile).
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.
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
21%4 TFLSack rate
17%4 sacksHurry rate
5%1 hurries21 tackles · 4 for loss · 4 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Road2g | 7.5 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 5.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Charles Huff
Pass share
40.7%
101 pass / 147 run
Plays / game
62.0
4 games
Team sack rate
4.4%
114 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
The No. 1,391 recruit in the country is starting on the defensive line in the American Athletic as a sophomore.
Player DNA
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Kevin Maurice’s 2016 season.
Matches Kevin on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Joseph Boletepeli's sophomore season at NC State (2019).
Matches Joseph on
Differs from Joseph on
14 more on the roster · Memphis team page