Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 35-13vs Wyoming | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 58-24vs Southern Utah | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 23-41vs BYU | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 16 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 |
#13
Elijah Mc-Cantos
Redshirt senior safety on Colorado State's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 190 lb · Little Haiti, FL · Edison
CFB Index 60 · #185 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceTransferred App State → Colorado 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
3★
CB recruit
No. 690 nationally · Signed with Illinois
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Redshirt senior safety on Colorado State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Illinois in 2022.
- Transferred from App State to Colorado State in 2026.
Elijah Mc-Cantos
Erases the deep middle of the field. Elijah Mc-Cantos has played for four head coaches across five seasons and three programs. The receipt: 6 tackles against BYU — Week 3, 2026.
16 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 Illinois3-star out of Miami Edison
20248 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 · 2022–2026
3 coaches2022–2024
Colorado State
2025era →
Tyson Summers
Colorado State
Played under 3 different head coaches: Jay Norvell, Tyson Summers, and Jim Mora. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Colorado State
2025App State
2026Colorado State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Colorado State | 16 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | App State | 52 | 28 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | App State | 15 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Illinois | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Illinois | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 89 | 46 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 2 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Elijah Mc-Cantos'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 2 · 2026
W 58–24
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 pass breakup, +6 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2022Illinois8-5HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning
2023Illinois5-7HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced
2024App State5-6HC: Shawn Clark · Balanced
2025App State5-8HC: Dowell Loggains · Pass-leaning
2026Colorado State3-0HC: Dowell Loggains · Balanced, fast tempo
2026Colorado State2-1HC: Jim Mora · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: passes defended (97th 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
19%3 pass breakupsTackle volume
16tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL16 tackles · 3 pass breakups.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jim Mora
Pass share
56.9%
112 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
65.7
3 games
Team sack rate
1.0%
105 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-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
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 Decorian Patterson’s 2021 season.
86%match
Matches Decorian on
Tackle volume
Height
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Caine Savage's graduate season at Nevada (2024).
85%match
Matches Caine on
Class year
Weight
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Elijah Mc-Cantos
Background
at Colorado State • Participated in spring 2026 practices Before Colorado State • Played two seasons at App State, one at Illinois • In 12 games in 2025, had 56 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups • Made 23 appearances at App State with 71 total tackles Personal/High School •…
The secondary · Colorado State
- #32Jake Jarmolowich72 tackles · 2025
- #1D'Mon Brinson59 tackles · 2025
- #12Jace Bellah58 tackles · 2025
- #7Lemondre Joe56 tackles · 2025
- #13Elijah Mc-Cantos52 tackles · 2025
27 more on the roster · Colorado State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology