Junior defensive lineman on Rice's 2026 roster.
6′5″ · 271 lb · Fort Worth, TX · Keller Central
The numbers
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 tackles, vs Houston Christian
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior defensive lineman on Rice's 2026 roster.
Joseph Mutombo
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Joseph Mutombo has been at Rice through two head coaches in four seasons. The receipt: 2 tackles against Notre Dame — Week 2, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Mike Bloomgren → Scott Abell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 31-3vs Houston Christian | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 0-52@ Notre Dame | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 21-28vs Western Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 31–3
2 tackles · 1 hurries · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 28-point win at home against Houston Christian.
With Q. Jackson — 61 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · C. Durkin — 54 yards per punt · 1 punts · 54 long
Since week 2: +1 tackle.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
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 · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Abell
Pass share
21.5%
40 pass / 146 run
Plays / game
62.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.5%
44 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Moso'oipala Tuitele’s 2024 season.
Matches Moso'oipala on
Differs from Moso'oipala on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Koron Hayward's junior season at Western Kentucky (2025).
Matches Koron on
Differs from Koron on
Player DNA
Pronunciation Guide Honors at Rice AAC All-Academic 2024, 2026 2025 Matched his career bests by playing in 12 games and 11 tackles… Second on the team with four quarterback hits and fifth with 12 total pressures… Made his first career start in the opener at Louisiana and was credited with a…
14 more on the roster · Rice team page