Khali Saunders: LB · Kent State · #45.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Khali Saunders
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for three head coaches at two programs in five seasons: Jeff Brohm, Sean Lewis and Kenni Burns. One game to point at: 10 tackles against Northern Illinois — Week 13, 2023.
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
33 tackles. 1 pass defended. 1 interception. 1 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Kent State | 33 | 13 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | Kent State | 55 | 26 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2021 | Purdue | 8 | 5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2020 | Purdue | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Purdue | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 100 | 48 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 4 | 2 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 10 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 6-28@ Arkansas | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 38-10vs Central Connecticut | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 10-53@ Fresno State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 3-23vs Miami (OH) | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 17-42@ Ohio | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | L 14-28@ Eastern Michigan | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 6-24vs Buffalo | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 19-49vs Bowling Green | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 3-34@ Ball State | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 27-37vs Northern Illinois | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 10 tackles |
| Total | 33 | 13 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
Week 3 · 2023
W 38-10
1 interception · 1 tackle for loss · 3 tackles
Dominant 28-point win at home against Central Connecticut.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
33tackles this seasonTFL rate
3%1 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
3%1 pass breakups33 tackles · 1 for loss · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 10 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kenni Burns
Pass share
41.1%
306 pass / 439 run
Plays / game
62.1
12 games
Team sack rate
11.5%
331 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2023
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #420 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons, at Purdue and Kent State, 100 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
The role got bigger.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Jeff Brohm, Sean Lewis and Kenni Burns.
