Last confirmed: Utah, 2019. No 2026 box-score games on record.
6′2″ · 333 lb · West Jordan, UT
John Penisini: DT · Utah · #52.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
John Penisini
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. This is his third year in the same defensive front at Utah. On tape: 7 tackles and 1 sack against Washington, Week 10, 2019.
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
38 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 7 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-12@ BYU | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-17vs Northern Illinois | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 31-0vs Idaho State | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 23-30@ USC | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 38-13vs Washington State | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 52-7@ Oregon State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 21-3vs No. 17 Arizona State | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 35-0vs California | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 33-28@ Washington | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 12 | W 49-3vs UCLA | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 45-15vs Colorado | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 15 | L 15-37@ No. 13 Oregon | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | L 10-38@ Texas | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 9 | 7.0 | 2.0 | — | 1 |
Week 10 · 2019
W 33-28
at Washington
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 7 tackles
Edged out Washington on the road in a shootout.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
18%7 TFLSack rate
5%2 sacksHurry rate
0%0 hurries38 tackles · 7 for loss · 2 sacks.
3 seasons under Kyle Whittingham — 27-14 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Road4g | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kyle Whittingham
Pass share
35.5%
321 pass / 583 run
Plays / game
64.6
14 games
Team sack rate
8.2%
355 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2019
38 tackles in 13 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
How it ended
Three seasons at Utah, 80 tackles — drafted at #197 overall by the Detroit Lions.
His career
He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.
Coaching lineage · 2016–2019
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Kyle Whittingham.
Where he ended up · NFL
Detroit LionsEntering 7th NFL season
Detroit LionsEntering 7th NFL season
