KJ Sherald: CB · Kent State · #5.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
KJ Sherald
Gets targeted often and tackles in space. Played for two head coaches in four seasons at Kent State. On tape: 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Bowling Green, Week 5, 2021.
Play style
Targeted often and asked to tackle in space on the perimeter.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
62 tackles. 3 passes defended. 3 interceptions. 5 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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Kent State | 65 | 42 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2019 | Kent State | 86 | 53 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 6 | 3 |
| 2018 | Kent State | 84 | 58 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 6 | -- |
| 2017 | Kent State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 239 | 156 | 16.5 | 3.0 | 15 | 6 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-41@ No. 6 Texas A&M | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 60-10vs VMI | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 7-30@ No. 5 Iowa | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 16-37@ Maryland | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 27-20vs Bowling Green | 11 | 8 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 48-38vs Buffalo | 5 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 31-64@ Western Michigan | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-27@ Ohio | 8 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 52-47vs Northern Illinois | 9 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 12 | W 38-0@ Akron | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 48-47vs Miami (OH) | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 23-41vs Northern Illinois | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 62 | 40 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
5%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
3interceptionsTackle volume
65tackles this season65 tackles · 5 for loss · 3 pass breakups · 3 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2021 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 6.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Road6g | 4.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 4.9 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 5.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sean Lewis
Pass share
39.1%
405 pass / 632 run
Plays / game
79.8
13 games
Team sack rate
8.7%
450 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, fast tempo.
Player standing · 2021
65 tackles in 12 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #291 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at Kent State, 239 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Coaching lineage · 2017–2021
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Paul Haynes → Sean Lewis. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
