Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-14vs Murray State | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 26-28@ Marshall | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 13 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#18
Kalen Woods
Redshirt senior safety on Middle Tennessee's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 196 lb · Oakland, CA · Fremont
CFB Index 38 · #380 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to Middle Tennessee 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.
Recruiting
3★
ATH recruit
No. 2309 nationally · Signed with New Mexico
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on Middle Tennessee's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to New Mexico in 2022.
Kalen Woods
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Danny Gonzales and Derek Mason. The receipt: 7 tackles against Murray State — Week 1, 2026.
13 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2022
- Signed with New Mexico3-star out of Fremont
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coaches2022
Middle Tennessee
Coaching transition mid-career: Rick Stockstill → Derek Mason. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022New Mexico2-10HC: Danny Gonzales · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2025Middle Tennessee3-9HC: Derek Mason · Pass-leaning
2026Middle Tennessee1-1HC: Derek Mason · Pass-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles for loss (20th 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 splits
Through 2 games: 6.5 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Derek Mason
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
38 · #380 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #380 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Conference USA
Based on 2025: #16 of 25 Conference USA Ss
How the All-Conference USA estimate is computed
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Middle Tennessee | 13 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Middle Tennessee | 36 | 21 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2022 | New Mexico | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 50 | 29 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 38–14
vs Murray State
7 TOT · 5 SOLO · 1 TD
Dominant 24-point win at home against Murray State.
With R. Gagliano — 200 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · 25 rush yds (2 car) · 1 TD · C. Lacy — 8 rec · 118 yds · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Middle Tennessee
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Middle Tennessee
Returning around him
- 1 Middle Tennessee player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +2 net (20 in / 18 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Middle Tennessee · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #109 · 2026 recruiting class #119
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jamal Potts’s 2021 season.
Matches Jamal on
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Class year
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Brenyen Scott's sophomore season at Temple (2023).
Matches Brenyen on
Class year
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Background
2025 (r-Junior) • Played in 10 games and had nine starts • Finished the year with 36 tackles to go with an interception and two forced fumbles • Had 414 total defensive snaps, including a season-high 69 at NMSU • Registered three games with a PFF grade of 71.0 or better (APSU, Wisconsin, Delaware...
The secondary · Middle Tennessee
- Kalen Woods36 tackles · 2025
- #2Jackson Lowe36 tackles · 2025
- #7Christofer Noble22 tackles · 2025
- #15Devan Carlisle10 tackles · 2025
- #24Camari Hall6 tackles · 2025
17 more on the roster · Middle Tennessee team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology