Senior defensive lineman on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 320 lb · Lake, MS · Lake HS
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
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 tackles, at South Carolina
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive lineman on Mississippi State's 2026 roster.
Kalvin Dinkins
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Kalvin Dinkins has been at Mississippi State through two head coaches in four seasons. The receipt: 3 tackles against UL Monroe — Week 1, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Greg Knox → Jeff Lebby. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Mississippi State | 27 | 5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 38 | 8 | 4.0 | 3.0 | -- | -- | -- |
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 62-13vs UL Monroe | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 38-13@ Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-34@ South Carolina | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 41–34
2 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Edged out South Carolina on the road in a shootout.
With K. Taylor — 251 yds · 4 TD · 1 INT · QBR 87.9 · 33 rush yds (8 car) · F. Bothwell — 115 rush yds (21 car)
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Pass share
44.6%
91 pass / 113 run
Plays / game
68.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.8%
105 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #108 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #12 of 60 SEC DLs
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.
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Quincy Ledet’s 2022 season.
Matches Quincy on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to R.J. Jackson's junior season at UCF (2025).
Matches R.J. on
Career Honors 2025 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll 2024 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll 2022-23 First Year SEC Academic Honor Roll Career Notes Played in 15 career games with nine starts … Following the 2025 season, Dinkins has 32 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and three sack. 2025 (Redshirt Junior…
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