Junior defensive lineman for West Virginia. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 295 lb · Auburndale, FL · Auburndale
The numbers
sack · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 sacks, 1 TFL, 2 tackles, vs Coastal Carolina
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior defensive lineman for West Virginia. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Nate Gabriel
Wins his gap play after play. Nate Gabriel has been at West Virginia through two head coaches in three seasons. The receipt on tape: 5 tackles against Virginia, Week 3, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Chad Scott → Rich Rodriguez. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | West Virginia | 10 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | West Virginia | 13 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | West Virginia | 9 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 32 | 11 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 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 31-24vs Coastal Carolina | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 52-7vs UT Martin | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 38-27@ Virginia | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 10 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 38–27
at Virginia
5 tackles · 1 solo tackles
With M. Hawkins Jr. — 190 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 98.2 · 123 rush yds (18 car) · 3 TD · B. Hansen — 39.8 yards per punt · 6 punts · 1 inside the 20
Since week 2: +5 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 (5th 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
10%1 TFLSack rate
10%1 sacksHurry rate
0%0 hurries10 tackles · 1 for loss · 1 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rich Rodriguez
Pass share
21.2%
43 pass / 160 run
Plays / game
67.7
3 games
Team sack rate
4.2%
48 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
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. 1,315 recruit in the country is starting on the defensive line in the Big 12 as a junior.
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 Josiah Hezekiah Bronson’s 2018 season.
Matches Josiah on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Trevon McAlpine's junior season at Texas Tech (2024).
Matches Trevon on
Player DNA
Played in 23 career games 2025 (So.) Played in all 12 games Added depth on the defensive line Saw action on 321 total snaps, including 286 on defense Used on 25 or more snaps in seven games, including a season-high 34 against Texas Tech Finished with 13 tackles, including one for loss and a…
15 more on the roster · West Virginia team page