Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 51-0vs UTEP | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 10-17@ Michigan | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 14-6vs New Mexico | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 12 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#47
James Nesta
Junior linebacker for Oklahoma. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 233 lb · Huntersville, NC · William Amos Hough HS
The numbers
12
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 5 tackles, vs New Mexico
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior linebacker for Oklahoma. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Oklahoma in 2024.
James Nesta
Third year in the Oklahoma linebacker corps, same address the whole way. One game to point at: 5 tackles against New Mexico — Week 3, 2026.
12 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Oklahoma4-star out of Hough
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Oklahoma
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Oklahoma
Played his entire career under Brent Venables.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
James Nesta'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 3 · 2026
W 14–6
vs New Mexico
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +5 tackles, +1 pass breakup.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Brent Venables — 18-11 over that span.
2024Oklahoma6-7HC: Brent Venables · Run-leaning
2025Oklahoma10-3HC: Brent Venables · Balanced
2026Oklahoma2-1HC: Brent Venables · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles for loss (16th percentile).
Box-score production (7)
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Brent Venables
Pass share
44.0%
77 pass / 98 run
Plays / game
58.3
3 games
Team sack rate
6.9%
87 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Background
Seasons GP-GS UT AT TOTAL TFL SACKS INT FF FR PBU 2024 1-0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 2025 13-0 1 3 4 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 Career 14-0 2 4 6 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 2025 (OKLAHOMA) Played in all 13 games, primarily on special teams and in a reserve role at linebacker … totaled four tackles (1.0 for…
The linebacker corps · Oklahoma
- #10Kip Lewis76 tackles · 2025
- #38Owen Heinecke74 tackles · 2025
- #18Cole Sullivan44 tackles · 2025
- #7Taylor Heim12 tackles · 2025
- #47James Nesta4 tackles · 2025
7 more on the roster · Oklahoma team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology