Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 12-13@ Michigan | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 2 | W 49-14vs Monmouth | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 28-21@ Rice | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Total | 15 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 4 |
#6
Joey Pope
Junior safety on Western Michigan's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 165 lb · Glen Ellyn, IL
CFB Index 63 · #159 of 544 safetiesMedium confidence
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.
How he projects
Erases the deep middle of the field.
Grades highest in speed and play recognition.
The full scouting readRecruiting
2★
S recruit
No. 2678 nationally · Signed with Western Michigan
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior safety on Western Michigan's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 2-star recruit to Western Michigan in 2023.
Joey Pope
Erases the deep middle of the field. A 2-star signing who has since put four seasons on the field at Western Michigan. One game to point at: 6 tackles against Rice — Week 3, 2026.
15 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- recruiting profile
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2023
- Signed with Western Michigan2-star out of Glenbard West
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★
CFB
College
Western Michigan
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Western Michigan
Played his entire career under Lance Taylor.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Western Michigan | 15 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Western Michigan | 44 | 28 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 2 | 3 | -- |
| 2024 | Western Michigan | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Western Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 67 | 41 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 6 | 3 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Joey Pope'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 2 · 2026
W 49–14
vs Monmouth
5 tackles · 1 pass breakups · 2 solo tackles
Dominant 35-point win at home against Monmouth.
With B. Lowry — 212 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 56.4 · 40 rush yds (4 car) · R. Millmore — 48.8 yards per punt · 4 punts · 56 long
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 pass breakup, +6 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
4 seasons under Lance Taylor — 22-20 over that span.
2023Western Michigan4-8HC: Lance Taylor · Run-leaning
2024Western Michigan6-7HC: Lance Taylor · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Western Michigan10-4HC: Lance Taylor · Run-heavy
2026Western Michigan2-1HC: Lance Taylor · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: passes defended (99th percentile). Concern: tackles for loss (16th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
27%4 pass breakupsTackle volume
15tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL15 tackles · 4 pass breakups.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Road2g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lance Taylor
Pass share
30.1%
66 pass / 153 run
Plays / game
73.0
3 games
Team sack rate
6.5%
77 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #9 of 23 Mid-American Ss
How the All-MAC estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
How he plays
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Centerfielder
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
S
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Lu-Magia Hearns III’s 2021 season.
72%match
Matches Lu-Magia on
TFL rate
Height
Tackle volume
Differs from Lu-Magia on
Weight (lower)
Class year (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Dexter Ricks Jr.'s senior season at Liberty (2025).
70%match
Matches Dexter on
Class year
Tackle volume
Weight
Differs from Dexter on
TFL rate (lower)
PD rate (higher)
The secondary · Western Michigan
- #3Tate Hallock67 tackles · 2025
- #8Jarvarius Sims61 tackles · 2025
- #18Micah Davis60 tackles · 2025
- #1Joshua Franklin53 tackles · 2025
- #6Joey Pope44 tackles · 2025
24 more on the roster · Western Michigan team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology