Senior linebacker for San José State. 2026: 23 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks.
6′2″ · 230 lb · San Bernardino, CA · Cajon HS
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.
How he plays
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
Solo tackles: 97th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
Best game: 8 tackles, 1 TFL, at USC
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for San José State. 2026: 23 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks.
The full story, with sourcesEthan Powell
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles. Ethan Powell has been at San José State through two head coaches in five seasons. One game to point at: 8 tackles, 1 TFL against USC — Week 1, 2026.
23 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Brent Brennan → Ken Niumatalolo. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | San José State | 23 | 16 | 3.0 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | San José State | 37 | 26 | 2.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | San José State | 44 | 25 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | San José State | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | San José State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 111 | 72 | 11.0 | 1.5 | 3 | 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 | L 26-42@ USC | 8 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 1 | W 27-21@ Eastern Michigan | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 30-20vs Cal Poly | 7 | 5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-26vs Fresno State | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 16 | 3.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 30–20
vs Cal Poly
Since week 2: +3 tackles, +0.5 tackles for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: solo tackles (97th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (91st percentile). Concern: passes defended (28th 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
Tackle volume
23tackles this seasonTFL rate
13%3 TFLSack rate
2%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups23 tackles · 3 for loss · 0 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 6.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 5.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Ken Niumatalolo
Pass share
51.8%
144 pass / 134 run
Plays / game
69.5
4 games
Team sack rate
4.5%
155 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #40 of 45 Mountain West LBs
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. 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
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Riko Jeffers’s 2019 season.
Matches Riko on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Trey Lathan's graduate season at Kansas (2026).
Matches Trey on
Player DNA
11 more on the roster · San José State team page