Junior safety on Virginia's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 195 lb · Chester, VA · Thomas Dale
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
ATH recruit
No. 1898 nationally · Signed with Virginia
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior safety on Virginia's 2026 roster.
Ethan Minter
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. He has spent three seasons in the Virginia secondary. One game to point at: 6 tackles against West Virginia — Week 3, 2026.
11 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Tony Elliott.
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 · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-8vs NC State | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 59-3vs Norfolk State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 27-38vs West Virginia | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Total | 11 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 34–8
vs NC State
2 tackles · 2 solo tackles
Dominant 26-point win at home against NC State.
With B. Pribula — 155 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 97.4 · 110 rush yds (15 car) · D. Sparks — 45.4 yards per punt · 5 punts · 1 inside the 20
Since week 2: +6 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Tony Elliott — 18-11 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles for loss (16th 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.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Elliott
Pass share
34.3%
68 pass / 130 run
Plays / game
66.0
3 games
Team sack rate
6.6%
76 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #269 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #9 of 25 ACC Ss
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jaden Harris’s 2024 season.
Matches Jaden on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Adrian Wilson's sophomore season at Washington State (2024).
Matches Adrian on
Player DNA
18 more on the roster · Virginia team page