Justin Taylor
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Played for three head coaches across three seasons and three programs. A game that shows it: 7 tackles against Ohio — Week 6, 2026.
44 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
44 tackles. 4 passes defended. 3 interceptions. 1.5 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.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Central Michigan | 44 | 21 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2025 | Wyoming | 17 | 11 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | 1 |
| 2023 | Wisconsin | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 62 | 33 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 4 |
Last game (Wk 8): 1 interception, 6 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 7-38@ New Mexico | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 13-10vs Colgate | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 24-10vs Wyoming | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 4 | L 3-52@ No. 6 Miami | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | W 41-17vs Akron | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Wk 6 | L 14-31@ Ohio | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 14-21vs Western Michigan | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 27-28vs Miami (OH) | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 44 | 21 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 4 |
Oct. 24 · L 27-28 vs Miami (OH), play by play
A defensive touchdown: his interception went 46 yards for the score. 6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 3rd and 7, returned 46 yards for the score. Third quarter, made it 17-14.
His defensive touchdowns put 14 points on the board directly. Without them the final is 13-28, not 27-28.
His game this year: coverage — 4 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How Central Michigan’s defense played that day
Miami (OH)’s 11 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 7 of 11. His pick-six came with Central Michigan down 4.
4 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
6 tackles, including 1 interception, 2 passes broken up, tied for 2nd-most passes broken up in FBS that week. His interception ended Akron’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, up 35-10. Ended Akron’s drive (int).
5 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception ended Wyoming’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 10 for him; the box score credits 9.
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, up 24-10. Ended Wyoming’s drive (int).
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
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 -25 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
9%4 pass breakupsInterceptions
3interceptionsTackle volume
44tackles this seasonTFL rate
3%2 TFL44 tackles · 1.5 for loss · 4 pass breakups · 3 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 6.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Road3g | 4.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 5.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Drinkall
Pass share
36.8%
174 pass / 299 run
Plays / game
59.1
8 games
Team sack rate
9.9%
192 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
44 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #17 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
The role got bigger.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 3 schools: Luke Fickell, Jay Sawvel and Matt Drinkall.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Central Michigan
