Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 66-14vs Idaho | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 43-10vs Arkansas | 6 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 33-0vs Utah State | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 10 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 1 |
#6
Nate Ritchie
Senior safety on Utah's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 207 lb · Cedar Hills, UT · Lone Peak HS
CFB Index 15 · #517 of 537 safetiesMedium 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.
Recruiting
4★
S recruit
No. 347 nationally · Signed with Utah
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior safety on Utah's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Utah in 2020.
How he projects
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Grades highest in speed and play recognition.
The full scouting readNate Ritchie
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Five seasons at Utah, two different head coaches: Kyle Whittingham and Morgan Scalley. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles, 1 sacks against Utah State, Week 3, 2026.
15 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20204 games
- Signed with Utah4-star out of Lone Peak
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Utah
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2020–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Kyle Whittingham → Morgan Scalley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Nate Ritchie'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 1 · 2026
W 66–14
vs Idaho
0.5 tackles for loss · 3 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 52-point win at home against Idaho.
With D. Dampier — 176 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 93.5 · 31 rush yds (6 car) · B. Ficklin — 93 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 80.1 · 70 rush yds (8 car)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +6 tackles, +1 tackle for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
2020Utah3-2HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-leaning
2023Utah8-5HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
2024Utah5-7HC: Kyle Whittingham · Balanced
2025Utah11-2HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
2026Utah3-0HC: Morgan Scalley · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Elite: tackles for loss (87th percentile). Strength: sacks (84th 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
PD rate
7%1 pass breakupsTackle volume
15tackles this seasonTFL rate
17%2 TFL15 tackles · 2 for loss · 1 sacks · 1 pass breakups.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 5.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Morgan Scalley
Pass share
44.4%
91 pass / 114 run
Plays / game
68.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.1%
97 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Robert Rahimi’s 2021 season.
83%match
Matches Robert on
Weight
PD rate
Tackle volume
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Bryson Jackson's graduate season at Baylor (2023).
Matches Bryson on
Class year
Weight
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Nate Ritchie
Background
2025: Started at safety in the first five games of the season. Totaled 25 tackles (3.5 TFL) and one pass breakup prior to an injury in the West Virginia game. Turned in career-bests with 13 tackles and 2.5 TFL against Texas Tech. First pass breakup of the season came against Texas Tech. Had a…
The secondary · Utah
- #23Jackson Bennee62 tackles · 2025
- #11Elijah Reed44 tackles · 2025
- #5James Chenault32 tackles · 2025
- #9Elijah Davis28 tackles · 2025
- #6Nate Ritchie20 tackles · 2025
20 more on the roster · Utah team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology