Last confirmed: Syracuse, 2020. No 2026 box-score games on record.
6′3″ · 213 lb · South Grafton, MA · Grafton Memorial Senior
Ifeatu Melifonwu: DB · Syracuse · #2.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Ifeatu Melifonwu
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. This is his third year in the same secondary at Syracuse. 2020 brought the first one: All-ACC. One game to point at: 7 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Notre Dame — Week 14, 2020.
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
54 tackles. 8 passes defended. 1 interception. 3 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.
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Roundtable Oct 23
Syracuse.com Oct 15
247Sports Oct 7Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2020 season · 10 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 6-31@ North Carolina | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-21@ No. 25 Pittsburgh | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 37-20vs Georgia Tech | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 24-38vs Duke | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 21-47@ No. 1 Clemson | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 9 | L 14-38vs Wake Forest | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 10 | L 13-16vs Boston College | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 0-30@ Louisville | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 13 | L 29-36vs NC State | 7 | 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 14 | L 21-45@ No. 2 Notre Dame | 7 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 43 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 8 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
15%8 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
54tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%3 TFL54 tackles · 3 for loss · 1 sack · 8 pass breakups · 1 interception.
3 seasons under Dino Babers — 16-20 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2020 season · 10 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 5.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| Road5g | 5.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 6.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dino Babers
Pass share
51.4%
336 pass / 318 run
Plays / game
59.5
11 games
Team sack rate
9.7%
373 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2020
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
How it ended
Three seasons at Syracuse, 88 tackles — drafted at #101 overall by the Detroit Lions.
His career
He has a stat line in 24 games over 3 seasons.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-ACC
All-ACC mention (2020)
Coaching lineage · 2018–2020
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Dino Babers.
Where he ended up · NFL
Detroit LionsEntering 6th NFL season
Detroit LionsEntering 6th NFL season
