Senior linebacker for Georgia Southern. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 245 lb · Covington, GA · Alcovy
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
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 4 tackles, 1 TFL, at Clemson
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Georgia Southern. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
MJ Stroud
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. He has spent five seasons in the Georgia Southern linebacker corps. His first career honor landed in 2025: All-Sun Belt. The receipt on tape: 4 tackles, 1 TFL against Clemson, Week 2, 2026.
7 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM
All-Sun Belt 1st team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Clay Helton.
In Portal · 2026
In transfer portal
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Georgia Southern | 7 | 4 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Georgia Southern | 33 | 25 | 15.5 | 6.5 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Georgia Southern | 24 | 18 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Georgia Southern | 15 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Georgia Southern | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 82 | 58 | 19.0 | 7.0 | 5 | -- | -- |
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 31-0vs Charleston Southern | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 7-22@ Clemson | 4 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 3 | L 27-31@ Jacksonville State | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 4 | 2.0 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 31–0
0.5 sacks · 0.5 tackles for loss · 2 tackles
Dominant 31-point win at home against Charleston Southern.
With M. Johnson — 281 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 66.4 · A. Smith — 40.3 yards per punt · 4 punts · 42 long
Since week 2: +1 tackle, +0.5 tackles for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
5 seasons under Clay Helton — 28-27 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles for loss (80th 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clay Helton
Pass share
60.1%
128 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
71.0
3 games
Team sack rate
3.6%
140 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
The No. 1,868 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Sun Belt as a senior.
Player DNA
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Gabriel Lopez’s 2025 season.
Matches Gabriel on
Differs from Gabriel on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Gabriel Murphy's senior season at UCLA (2023).
Matches Gabriel on
Differs from Gabriel on
Player DNA
2025 - All-Sun Belt Conference First Team 2025 - All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team (Phil Steele) 2023-24 - Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll 2025-26: Played in all 13 games, starting the final five … Saw action on 512 plays (465 defense, 47 special teams) … Tallied 33 tackles, including…
20 more on the roster · Georgia Southern team page