2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.
11 stories in the last 60 days, from 6 outlets.
Burnt Orange Nation +1 Oct 22
Hero Kanu
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. One game to point at: 5 tackles against Mississippi State — Week 9, 2026.
25 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
25 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 4.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 6 outlets
Burnt Orange Nation +1 Oct 22 · 2 outlets
Burnt Orange Nation +1Longhorns Daily News: Texas DL Hero Kanu named a semifinalist for this season’s Campbell TrophySep 23Burnt Orange Nation +1Longhorns Daily News: Texas’ Hero Kanu is a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year AwardOct 22from 7 outlets
Burnt Orange Nation +1 Oct 22 · 2 outlets
Burnt Orange Nation +1Longhorns Daily News: Texas DL Hero Kanu named a semifinalist for this season’s Campbell TrophySep 23Burnt Orange Nation +1Longhorns Daily News: Texas’ Hero Kanu is a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year AwardOct 22Burnt Orange Nation +1
Sports IllustratedBurnt Orange Nation +1Burnt Orange Nation
Yahoo SportsSports IllustratedEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
Texas16 stories2025 to nowMost about: awards and watch lists, in his words, preview and matchup.
Burnt Orange Nation +1Longhorns Daily News: Texas DL Hero Kanu named a semifinalist for this season’s Campbell TrophySep 23Burnt Orange Nation +1Longhorns Daily News: Texas’ Hero Kanu is a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year AwardOct 22
Locked OnTexas Faces big Offseason as Ryan Niblett, Hero Kanu, Others View OptionsDec 10
On3Texas football's Justus Terry called a 'generational talent' by veteran DT Hero KanuAug 6
Ohio State2022 to 2024not trackedStories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named Hero Kanu vs UTSA.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas | 25 | 10 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2025 | Texas | 31 | 9 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1 |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- |
| 2023 | Ohio State | 10 | 8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- |
| Career | 70 | 28 | 9.5 | 4.0 | 2 |
Last game (Wk 9): 5 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 59-7vs Texas State | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 24-23vs No. 1 Ohio State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 30-6vs UTSA | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 20-17@ No. 14 Tennessee | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 24-27vs Oklahoma | 5 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 7 | L 24-27vs Florida | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-27vs No. 7 Ole Miss | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 31-3vs Mississippi State | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 10 | 4.5 | 1.0 | — | 1 |
Week 4 · 2026
W 20-17
at Tennessee
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 4 tackles
A close one, won by 3 on the road.
Ratings of the games shown run from +2 to +29 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
18%4 TFLSack rate
4%1 sackHurry rate
16%4 hurries25 tackles · 4.5 for loss · 1 sack.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road1g | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 4.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Steve Sarkisian
Pass share
43.5%
226 pass / 293 run
Plays / game
64.9
8 games
Team sack rate
9.1%
263 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
25 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #173 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #35 of 60 SEC DLs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 31 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian.
From Geltendorf, Germany — one of 32 players from Germany in FBS this season.
