Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 28-9vs Austin Peay | 6 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-26vs Delaware | 7 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.5 | — | 2 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 35-31vs NC State | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | 7 | 4.0 | 3.0 | — | 4 |
#24
Nicholas Rinaldi
Senior linebacker for Vanderbilt. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 240 lb · Dover, MA
CFB Index 66 · #156 of 583 LBsHigh 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.
How he plays
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
Passes defended: 99th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
18
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 7 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, vs Delaware
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Vanderbilt. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
The full story, with sourcesNicholas Rinaldi
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. This is his fifth year in the same linebacker corps at Vanderbilt. The receipt: 7 tackles, 2.5 TFL against Delaware — Week 2, 2026.
18 TACKLES · 3 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Vanderbilt
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coach2022–2026
Vanderbilt
Played his entire career under Clark Lea.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Vanderbilt | 18 | 7 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 47 | 20 | 7.0 | 3.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | 52 | 36 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Vanderbilt | 20 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2022 | Vanderbilt | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 140 | 72 | 17.0 | 12.5 | 5 | 1 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Nicholas Rinaldi'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 35–31
vs NC State
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +5 tackles, +1 tackle for loss, +1 sack.
Season context · Team result + system
5 seasons under Clark Lea — 27-26 over that span.
2022Vanderbilt5-7HC: Clark Lea · Run-leaning
2023Vanderbilt2-10HC: Clark Lea · Balanced, slow tempo
2024Vanderbilt7-6HC: Clark Lea · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2025Vanderbilt10-3HC: Clark Lea · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Vanderbilt3-0HC: Clark Lea · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: passes defended (99th percentile). Strength: sacks (99th 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
Tackle volume
18tackles this seasonTFL rate
22%4 TFLSack rate
17%3 sacksPD rate
22%4 pass breakups18 tackles · 4 for loss · 3 sacks.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 6.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 6.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Clark Lea
Pass share
48.4%
90 pass / 96 run
Plays / game
62.0
3 games
Team sack rate
2.1%
95 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
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-SEC
Based on 2025: #23 of 76 SEC LBs
How the All-SEC 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
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Thumper
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Jackson Adams’s 2025 season.
53%match
Matches Jackson on
Weight
Differs from Jackson on
PD rate (higher)
Sack rate (higher)
Hurry rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Ibrahim Kante's graduate season at Buffalo (2022).
60%match
Matches Ibrahim on
TFL rate
Solo tackle rate
Height
Differs from Ibrahim on
Hurry rate (higher)
PD rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Nicholas Rinaldi
The linebacker corps · Vanderbilt
- #11Bryan Longwell70 tackles · 2025
- #24Nicholas Rinaldi47 tackles · 2025
- #22Bryce Cowan32 tackles · 2025
- #30Austin Howard8 tackles · 2025
- #20Jamison Curtis8 tackles · 2025
6 more on the roster · Vanderbilt team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology