Senior defensive lineman for Eastern Michigan. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 282 lb · Phenix City, AL · Central
The numbers
sacks · 2026
0.5 TFL · 6 tackles · 2 hurries
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL, 2 tackles, at Michigan State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman for Eastern Michigan. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Makhi Gilbert
Wins his gap play after play. Makhi Gilbert arrived at Eastern Michigan from Samford. The receipt: 2 tackles, 0.5 sacks against Michigan State — Week 2, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Chris Creighton — 5-10 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (96th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th 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.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Chris Creighton
Pass share
58.2%
107 pass / 77 run
Plays / game
61.3
3 games
Team sack rate
5.1%
117 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Eastern Michigan | 6 | -- | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Eastern Michigan | 16 | 5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 22 | 5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 28–17
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 28-17vs Sacramento State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 1 | L 21-27vs San José State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 7-35@ Michigan State | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Eastern Michigan
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Eastern Michigan
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Eastern Michigan · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #103 · 2026 recruiting class #106
Player DNA
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to De'Jon Benton’s 2022 season.
Matches De'Jon on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Ike Nnakenyi's junior season at Nevada (2024).
Matches Ike on
Differs from Ike on
EMU: 2026: Named one of the team’s five captains for the season… Selected to the 2026 Phil Steele MAC Third Team (DT)… 2025: Played in five games with four starts…Finished with 16 tackles, including five solo and 11 assisted…Added 1.5 tackles for loss for four yards…Recorded two quarterback hurri...
17 more on the roster · Eastern Michigan team page