Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 16-52@ Indiana | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 44-6vs UNLV | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 35-49@ Texas State | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 9 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#15
Justin Benton
Senior defensive lineman on North Texas's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 298 lb · Atlanta, GA · Newton HS
CFB Index 24 · #281 of 330 interior linemenLow confidenceTransferred East Carolina → North Texas for 2026
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.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 3 tackles, vs UNLV
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive lineman on North Texas's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Houston in 2023.
- Transferred from East Carolina to North Texas in 2026.
Justin Benton
Wins his gap play after play. Three head coaches in three seasons, at three different programs. One game to point at: 4 tackles against Texas State — Week 3, 2026.
9 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Houston3-star out of Newton
2024
- Entered the portal
202510 games
- Entered the portal
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Eric Morris, Drew Svoboda, and Neal Brown. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to North Texas
2025East Carolina
2026North Texas
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Texas | 9 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | East Carolina | 19 | 5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Houston | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 32 | 10 | 3.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Justin Benton'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 44–6
vs UNLV
3 tackles · 1 hurries · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 38-point win at home against UNLV.
With T. Jackson — 233 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 74.9 · 15 rush yds (7 car) · 1 TD · J. White — 124 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +4 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Houston4-8HC: Dana Holgorsen · Balanced
2025East Carolina9-4HC: Blake Harrell · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2026North Texas1-2HC: Neal Brown · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (7)
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
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Neal Brown
Pass share
52.3%
115 pass / 105 run
Plays / game
73.3
3 games
Team sack rate
1.6%
122 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
24 · #281 of 330 interior linemen
Three-star recruit. Now #281 at the position.
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Talan Carter’s 2025 season.
Matches Talan on
Class year
Height
Hurry rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Talan Carter's sophomore season at Jacksonville State (2025).
85%match
All-Conference USA
Matches Talan on
Class year
Height
Hurry rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Justin Benton
Background
Prior to UNT: Spent the 2025 season at East Carolina and was at Houston in 2024 and 2023 … appeared in 18 games in his collegiate career prior to joining UNT … totaled 23 tackles and 3.0 TFLs in his career … appeared in all 13 games at ECU in 2025 … registered 19 tackles and a pair of TFLs on…
The defensive line · North Texas
- #6Udoka Ezeani9.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #91Davion Rhodes6 tackles for loss · 2025
- #10David Onuoha4.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #15Justin Benton2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #42Brayden Knox2 tackles for loss · 2025
16 more on the roster · North Texas team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology