Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-6@ Stanford | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 77-7vs Florida A&M | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 33-20@ Wake Forest | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 |
#8
Marquise Lightfoot
Junior defensive lineman for Miami. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 230 lb · Chicago, IL
CFB Index 59 · #158 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, 2 tackles, at Wake Forest
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior defensive lineman for Miami. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 5-star recruit to Miami in 2024.
Buzz vs Tape
Country hotter than the fans
The wider college football conversation reads him warmer than his own fans do — a gap of 45 points in belief.
25own fans
70national conversation
In Their Words
204 windows · 2026 fan posts
blount×623.0marquise×623.0armondo×318.4defensive×22.6moten×140.5damon×108.5become×75.8wilson×25.0
Marquise Lightfoot
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. He has spent three seasons in the Miami defensive front. One game to point at: 9 tackles against Stanford — Week 1, 2026.
13 TACKLES · 2 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Miami5-star out of Kenwood Academy
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★★
CFB
College
Miami
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Miami
Played his entire career under Mario Cristobal.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Marquise Lightfoot'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 3 · 2026
W 33–20
at Wake Forest
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 sack, +1 tackle for loss, +2 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Mario Cristobal, all balanced offenses — 26-6 over that span.
2024Miami10-3HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
2025Miami13-3HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
2026Miami3-0HC: Mario Cristobal · Balanced
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 (80th percentile). Concern: passes defended (28th 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
15%2 TFLSack rate
15%2 sacksHurry rate
8%1 hurries13 tackles · 2 for loss · 2 sacks.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 5.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 4.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mario Cristobal
Pass share
48.3%
98 pass / 105 run
Plays / game
67.7
3 games
Team sack rate
1.0%
101 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #26 of 73 ACC DLs
How the All-ACC estimate is computed
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.
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Shawn Simeon’s 2019 season.
81%match
Matches Shawn on
Height
TFL rate
Sack rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Drew Sanders's junior season at Arkansas (2022).
75%match
1st-team All-AmericanNFL Rd 3 · Pk 4
Matches Drew on
Class year
Weight
TFL rate
Differs from Drew on
Sack rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Marquise Lightfoot
The defensive line · Miami
- #99Ahmad Moten9 tackles for loss · 2025
- #10Damon Wilson Jr.9 tackles for loss · 2025
- #5Justin Scott6.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #8Marquise Lightfoot5.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #97Keona Davis3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Miami team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology