James Patterson

Senior linebacker for Buffalo. 2022: 109 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks.

LB · Buffalo · Sr. · #8

6′0″ · 232 lb · Glenn Dale, MD

CFB Index 76 · #78 of 548 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceBuffalo 2022 alumnus

Recruiting

2★

ILB recruit

No. 2556 nationally · Signed with Buffalo

Statement game16 tackles · 1.5 TFLat Ohio (FBS) · L 24-45

Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 linebacker for Buffalo. 2022: 109 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks.

Signed as a 2-star recruit to Buffalo in 2017.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Buffalo, 396 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2020) — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2017

Signed with Buffalo2-star out of St. Vincent Pallotti

20206 games

All-MACfirst

202112 games

The role got bigger.

All-MACfirst

202212 games

All-MACsecond

Career arc

Recruit

★★

#2556 national

CFB

College

Buffalo

2018–2022

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

8 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-MAC · 2ND TEAM

All-MAC 2nd team (2022)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2022

2 coaches

2018–2020

Lance Leipold

Buffalo

2021–2022

Maurice Linguist

Buffalo

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Lance Leipold → Maurice Linguist. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2022 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018Buffalo10-4HC: Lance Leipold · Run-leaning

2019Buffalo8-5HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy

2020Buffalo6-1HC: Lance Leipold · Run-heavy, fast tempo

2021Buffalo4-8HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning

2022Buffalo7-6HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

76All-Conference level #78 of 548?

High confidence8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (100th percentile). Strength: tackles (99th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Solo tackles#8 / 2755 · 100th pct

Tackles#21 / 2755 · 99th pct

109

Tackles for loss#85 / 2755 · 97th pct

11.0

QB hurries#511 / 2755 · 76th pct

Sacks#711 / 2755 · 72nd pct

1.5

Passes defended#744 / 2755 · 66th pct

Forced fumbles#58 / 737 · 46th pct

Interceptions#321 / 811 · 30th pct

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

2022 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	9.8	1.1	0.3	0.0
Road7g	8.6	0.8	0.0	0.3

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	7.4	0.9	0.1	0.3
Weeks 8+5g	11.4	1.0	0.1	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Pete Lembo

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2022

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

76 · #78 of 548 LBs

Two-star recruit. Now #78 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2022	Buffalo	109	65	11.0	1.5	2	1	--
2021	Buffalo	114	49	12.5	4.0	--	1	--
2020	Buffalo	63	29	1.0	0.0	2	1	--
2019	Buffalo	40	23	6.5	1.5	--	1	--
2018	Buffalo	70	36	9.0	1.0	2	--	--
Career		396	202	40.0	8.0	6	4	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2022

W 34–27

vs Toledo

11 TOT · 7 SOLO · 1 QB HUR

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.

With R. Cook Jr. — 118 rush yds (18 car) · 1 TD · C. Snyder — 245 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 32.5 · -2 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2022 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 10-31@ Maryland	6	5	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	L 31-37vs Holy Cross	11	6	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	L 26-38@ Coastal Carolina	9	6	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 50-31@ Eastern Michigan	7	5	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 5	W 24-20vs Miami (OH)	6	5	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 6	W 38-7@ Bowling Green	6	4	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 7	W 34-7@ Massachusetts	7	3	2.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 8	W 34-27vs Toledo	11	7	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	L 24-45@ Ohio	16	7	1.5	0.0	—	0	Season-high 16 tackles
Wk 11	L 27-31@ Central Michigan	9	6	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 27-30vs Kent State	10	6	1.5	0.5	—	0
Wk 14	W 23-22vs Akron	11	5	2.0	0.0	—	0
Total		109	65	11.0	1.5	1	2

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

James Patterson

2017

20206 games

202112 games

202212 games

2022 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Sideline-to-Sideline

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