Sophomore cornerback on UTEP's 2023 roster.
5′11″ · 170 lb · Maricopa, AZ
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.
Ilijah Johnson
Reads the quarterback's eyes and takes the ball away. He has spent three seasons in the UTEP secondary. One game to point at: 2 tackles against Arizona — Week 3, 2023.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Three seasons at UTEP, 27 tackles — his college career is complete.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2020–2023
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Dana Dimel.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Dana Dimel, all run-leaning offenses — 11-21 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th 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
2023 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scotty Walden
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2022
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 14-17@ Jacksonville State | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-31@ Arizona | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 5 | L 10-24vs Louisiana Tech | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
Play style
Reads the quarterback's eyes and takes the ball away.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Reads the quarterback's eyes and takes the ball away.
His 2022 production profile sits closest to Dallas Branch’s 2021 season.
Matches Dallas on
Differs from Dallas on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Jonathan Pennix's sophomore season at Southern Miss (2025).
Matches Jonathan on
Player DNA