6′1″ · 223 lb · Fair Haven, NJ · Rumson-Fair Haven
John Lista
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. One game to point at: 11 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Syracuse — Week 5, 2026.
37 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
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| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UConn | 37 | 14 | 2.5 | 1.0 |
| Career | 37 | 14 | 2.5 | 1.0 |
Last game (Wk 6): 8 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 6 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 56-7vs Lafayette | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 14-38vs Maryland | 7 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 48-20@ Southern Miss | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 21-24@ Miami (OH) | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 41-42vs Syracuse | 11 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 34-20@ Temple | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 14 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
Oct. 10 · W 34-20 at Temple, play by play
8 tackles.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 2 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 6 games with play by play.
How UConn’s defense played that day
Temple’s 9 drives: 5 stopped (2 takeaways) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 8.
11 tackles.
3 tackles.
3 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
7 tackles.
5 tackles, including 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback once.
Sacked the quarterback for a 8-yard loss. Second quarter, up 28-0.
Week 1 · 2026
W 56-7
vs Lafayette
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 5 tackles
Dominant 49-point win at home against Lafayette.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -17 to -2 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
37tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%2 TFLSack rate
3%1 sackPD rate
0%0 pass breakups37 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 1 sack.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 7.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 4.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 6.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jason Candle
Pass share
44.3%
174 pass / 219 run
Plays / game
65.5
6 games
Team sack rate
8.1%
209 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Unranked recruit. Now #264 at the position.
His career
