Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-48@ Alabama | 6 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 24-27vs App State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 20-17@ Old Dominion | 7 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Total | 17 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#4
Kevon Merrell
Junior defensive back on East Carolina's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 188 lb · Cordele, GA · Crisp County
CFB Index 35 · #404 of 544 safetiesLow confidence
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.
How he projects
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Grades highest in speed and zone coverage.
The full scouting readRecruiting
3★
LB recruit
No. 1323 nationally · Signed with East Carolina
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior defensive back on East Carolina's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to East Carolina in 2024.
Kevon Merrell
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Three seasons at East Carolina, two different head coaches: Mike Houston and Blake Harrell. The receipt on tape: 7 tackles against Old Dominion, Week 3, 2026.
17 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20246 games
- Signed with East Carolina3-star out of Crisp County
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
East Carolina
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
East Carolina
Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Houston → Blake Harrell. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | East Carolina | 17 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | East Carolina | 27 | 18 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | East Carolina | 12 | 7 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 56 | 30 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Kevon Merrell's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 20–17
at Old Dominion
7 tackles · 2 solo tackles
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.
With T. O'Halloran — 48.2 yards per punt · 6 punts · 2 inside the 20 · T. Engleman Jr. — 99 rush yds (16 car)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +7 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2024East Carolina8-5HC: Mike Houston · Balanced
2025East Carolina9-4HC: Blake Harrell · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2026East Carolina1-2HC: Blake Harrell · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles for loss (16th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
0%0 pass breakupsTackle volume
17tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL17 tackles.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 6.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Blake Harrell
Pass share
43.5%
77 pass / 100 run
Plays / game
59.0
3 games
Team sack rate
8.0%
88 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-AAC
Based on 2025: #16 of 28 American Athletic DBs
How the All-AAC 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.
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2026 production profile sits closest to C.J. Hampton’s 2017 season.
86%match
Matches C.J. on
Tackle volume
PD rate
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Kerby Joseph's junior season at Illinois (2020).
96%match
All-Big TenNFL Rd 3 · Pk 33
Matches Kerby on
Class year
Height
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Kevon Merrell
Background
Two-year letterman for the Pirates (2024-25) … Played in 26 career games … Booked 41 career stops (27 solo) with 6.0 TFLs (-12 yards) … Credited with two pass breakups … Picked off first career pass against Pittsburgh in the 2025 Go Bowling Military Bowl for a 70-yard return … Recorded at last…
The secondary · East Carolina
- #3Zyeir Gamble72 tackles · 2025
- #13Ayden Duncanson33 tackles · 2025
- #4Kevon Merrell27 tackles · 2025
- #8Kamaurri McKinley24 tackles · 2025
- #23Josh Benton11 tackles · 2025
20 more on the roster · East Carolina team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology