Senior edge rusher for UCF. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 260 lb · Philadelphia, PA · Northeast
How he plays
Holds up snap after snap without a weakness to attack.
Sacks: 73rd percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL, 4 tackles, at Pittsburgh
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior edge rusher for UCF. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Ken Talley
Holds up snap after snap without a weakness to attack. Across four seasons and three programs, four head coaches: Mel Tucker, Jonathan Smith, Sam Pittman and Scott Frost. The receipt on tape: 15 rec yds, 4 tackles against Bethune-Cookman, Week 1, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Gus Malzahn → Scott Frost. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to UCF
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UCF | 10 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Arkansas | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Michigan State | 6 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Michigan State | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 24 | 8 | 4.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
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 73-6vs Bethune-Cookman | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 7-12@ Pittsburgh | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 44-30vs Georgia State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 73–6
1 rec · 15 yds
Dominant 67-point win at home against Bethune-Cookman.
With T. Swint — 48 rush yds (4 car) · 1 TD · A. Barnett — 158 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 46.9 · 9 rush yds (5 car) · 1 TD
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: solo tackles (2nd 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.
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Sack rate
5%0 sacksTFL rate
15%2 TFL10 tackles · 2 for loss · 0 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scott Frost
Pass share
41.2%
70 pass / 100 run
Plays / game
56.7
3 games
Team sack rate
3.8%
78 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Play style
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Elijah Davis’s 2025 season.
Matches Elijah on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Drew Jordan's senior season at Michigan State (2021).
Matches Drew on
16 more on the roster · UCF team page