Senior defensive lineman on Oregon State's 2026 roster.
6′5″ · 247 lb · Sacramento, CA
The numbers
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 4 tackles, at UCLA
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive lineman on Oregon State's 2026 roster.
Kai Wallin
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Across four seasons and three programs, three head coaches: Matt Rhule, Trent Bray and Sean Lewis. One game to point at: 4 tackles against UCLA — Week 2, 2026.
7 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Jonathan Smith, Trent Bray, and JaMarcus Shephard. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Oregon State
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | San Diego State | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Oregon State | 17 | 9 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Nebraska | 4 | -- | 0.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Nebraska | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 29 | 14 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
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 53-20vs Portland State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 10-28@ UCLA | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 3 | L 13-26vs James Madison | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Since week 2: +2 tackles.
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 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
JaMarcus Shephard
Pass share
70.7%
253 pass / 105 run
Plays / game
119.3
3 games
Team sack rate
3.9%
152 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-heavy, fast tempo.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Donovan Branch’s 2024 season.
Matches Donovan on
Differs from Donovan on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Desmond Umeozulu's junior season at South Carolina (2025).
Matches Desmond on
Differs from Desmond on
Player DNA
20 more on the roster · San Diego State team page