Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-16vs Akron | 4 | 0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-36@ Purdue | 7 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 3 | L 20-33vs Miami | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 17 | 4 | 3.5 | 2.0 | — | 0 |
#11
Langston Hardy
Redshirt senior defensive lineman for Wake Forest. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 250 lb · Jacksonville, FL · Sandalwood
CFB Index 83 · #36 of 420 edge rushersLow 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.
The numbers
2
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 sacks, 1 TFL, 6 tackles, vs Miami
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Redshirt senior defensive lineman for Wake Forest. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to UConn in 2021.
- Transferred from UConn to Wake Forest in 2025.
Langston Hardy
Wins his gap play after play. Langston Hardy has played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. The receipt: 7 tackles, 1.5 TFL against Purdue — Week 2, 2026.
17 TACKLES · 2 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 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2021
- Signed with UConn3-star out of Sandalwood
202513 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2024
Wake Forest
Coaching transition mid-career: Dave Clawson → Jake Dickert. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wake Forest | 17 | 4 | 3.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Wake Forest | 65 | 25 | 14.5 | 6.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | UConn | 44 | 19 | 7.0 | 3.5 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | UConn | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 130 | 50 | 25.0 | 12.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Langston Hardy'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 2 · 2026
W 38–36
at Purdue
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 sack, +1 tackle for loss, +6 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2023UConn3-9HC: Jim Mora · Balanced
2024UConn9-4HC: Jim Mora · Run-leaning
2025Wake Forest9-4HC: Jake Dickert · Balanced
2026Wake Forest2-1HC: Jake Dickert · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: sacks (96th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (95th percentile). Concern: solo tackles (11th 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
TFL rate
21%4 TFLSack rate
12%2 sacksHurry rate
0%0 hurries17 tackles · 4 for loss · 2 sacks.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 7.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.7 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jake Dickert
Pass share
55.1%
108 pass / 88 run
Plays / game
65.3
3 games
Team sack rate
4.1%
121 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #5 of 73 ACC DLs
How the All-ACC estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. 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
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
The No. 1,811 recruit in the country is starting on the defensive line in the ACC as a redshirt senior.
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Quindarius Dunnigan’s 2022 season.
89%match
Matches Quindarius on
Weight
Sack rate
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Ernest Cooper's senior season at Stanford (2025).
91%match
Matches Ernest on
Class year
Height
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Langston Hardy
Background
Career Accolades 2026 Chuck Bednarik Award Watchlist 2026 Athlon Sports Preseason All-ACC 2026 Phil Steele Preseason Second Team All-ACC 2025 All-ACC Honorable Mention 2025 (Redshirt Junior) Earned an All-ACC honorable mention… Appeared in and started all 13 games for the Demon Deacons… Led the…
The defensive line · Wake Forest
- #11Langston Hardy14.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #10Gabe Kirschke9 tackles for loss · 2025
- #52Dallas Afalava6 tackles for loss · 2025
- #94Zach Lohavichan5.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #55Kadear Dembele0.5 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Wake Forest team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology