Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 12-13@ Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 49-14vs Monmouth | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 28-21@ Rice | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#42
Gabe Welch
Junior linebacker for Western Michigan. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 225 lb · Arkansas City, KS
The numbers
10
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 tackles, vs Monmouth
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior linebacker for Western Michigan. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
The full story, with sourcesGabe Welch
Second year in the Western Michigan linebacker corps, same address the whole way. The receipt: 6 tackles against Monmouth — Week 2, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Western Michigan
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Western Michigan | 10 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Western Michigan | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 17 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Gabe Welch'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 49–14
vs Monmouth
6 tackles · 5 solo tackles
Dominant 35-point win at home against Monmouth.
With B. Lowry — 212 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 56.4 · 40 rush yds (4 car) · R. Millmore — 48.8 yards per punt · 4 punts · 56 long
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +3 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Lance Taylor, all run-heavy offenses — 12-5 over that span.
2025Western Michigan10-4HC: Lance Taylor · Run-heavy
2026Western Michigan2-1HC: Lance Taylor · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (8th 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.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lance Taylor
Pass share
30.1%
66 pass / 153 run
Plays / game
73.0
3 games
Team sack rate
6.5%
77 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
The linebacker corps · Western Michigan
- #9James Camden85 tackles · 2025
- #10Sefa Saipaia Jr.77 tackles · 2025
- #47Domanick Moon23 tackles · 2025
- #12Dillon Moore19 tackles · 2025
- #42Gabe Welch7 tackles · 2025
11 more on the roster · Western Michigan team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology