Junior linebacker for Mississippi State. 2025: 12 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss.
6′2″ · 230 lb · Camden, NJ · Camden HS (Syracuse)
The story
Junior linebacker for Mississippi State. 2025: 12 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss.
James Heard Jr.
The receipt: 3 tackles against Miami — Week 11, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Mississippi State
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Syracuse | 12 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 12 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 7 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 26-45@ Tennessee | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 27-20vs UConn | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 66-24vs Colgate | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 3-38vs Duke | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 16-41@ Georgia Tech | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 10-38@ Miami | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 14 | L 12-34vs Boston College | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (9th 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
2025 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+3g | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Pass share
44.6%
91 pass / 113 run
Plays / game
68.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.8%
105 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Career Notes Entering 2026, Heard has played in 24 career games with 0 starts … Transferred to Syracuse from West Virginia in Dec. 2023 … Transferred to Mississippi State in the summer of 2026. 2025 (Redshirt Sophomore Season - Syracuse) Played in 11 games with 0 starts … Did not record any…
6 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page