Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman for North Carolina. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 290 lb · Leesburg, GA · Lee County
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
sack · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 sacks, 1 TFL, 2 tackles, at Clemson
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman for North Carolina. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Leroy Jackson
Wins his gap play after play. Three seasons at North Carolina, two different head coaches: Freddie Kitchens and Bill Belichick. The receipt on tape: 8 tackles against TCU, Week 1, 2026.
15 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Freddie Kitchens → Bill Belichick. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Carolina | 15 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | North Carolina | 34 | 13 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | North Carolina | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 50 | 18 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
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 15-10@ TCU | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 35-3vs East Tennessee State | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 20-28@ Clemson | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 15–10
at TCU
8 tackles · 3 solo tackles
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 5 on the road.
With B. Edwards — 232 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 77.2 · -4 rush yds (7 car) · A. Burrell — 41.7 yards per punt · 3 punts · 2 inside the 20
Since week 2: +1 sack, +1 tackle for loss, +2 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (84th percentile). Concern: solo tackles (21st 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
TFL rate
7%1 TFLSack rate
7%1 sacksHurry rate
0%0 hurries15 tackles · 1 for loss · 1 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bill Belichick
Pass share
46.9%
84 pass / 95 run
Plays / game
59.7
3 games
Team sack rate
6.5%
92 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #65 of 73 ACC DLs
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. 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.
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
The No. 1,175 recruit in the country is starting on the defensive line in the ACC as a redshirt sophomore.
Player DNA
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Zy Brockington’s 2024 season.
Matches Zy on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to C.J. Mims's junior season at North Carolina (2025).
Matches C.J. on
Differs from C.J. on
Player DNA
Honors The Athletic Freshman All-American (2025) 2025 Redshirt Freshman Season at Carolina Turned in a strong redshirt freshman season Appeared in every game for the Tar Heels, starting 11 games Finished the season with 37 tackles Tallied 14 solo stops and 23 assisted tackles Recorded two…
12 more on the roster · North Carolina team page