Michigan State · L 20-30
No tackles.
Western Michigan · W 45-38
9 tackles
The other 6 games average 4 tackles. This one was 5 above.
Thompson has tackles in 7 of Toledo’s 8 games: none against Michigan State.
Nicholas Thompson
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Played for three head coaches in three seasons at Toledo. One game to point at: 6 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against San Diego State — Week 4, 2026.
31 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Yahoo Sports Oct 21Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 8): 9 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 63-10vs Central Connecticut | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 49-48vs Temple | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 41-16vs San Diego State | 6 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 39-24@ Ball State | 5 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | L 8-23vs Buffalo | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 34-14@ Eastern Michigan | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | W 45-38vs Western Michigan | 9 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Total | 31 | 18 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 24 · W 45-38 vs Western Michigan, play by play
9 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception on 3rd and 6 ended Western Michigan’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 3rd and 6. First quarter, up 14-0. Ended Western Michigan’s drive (int).
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 3 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 7 games with play by play.
How Toledo’s defense played that day
Western Michigan’s 12 drives: 7 stopped (3 takeaways) · 5 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 5. His interception came with Toledo up 14.
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 4 for him; the box score credits 3.
4 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss. The fumble he forced ended San Diego State’s drive (fumble).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 6, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Third quarter, up 27-3. Ended San Diego State’s drive (fumble).
2 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 8 · 2026
W 45-38
1 interception · 9 tackles · 7 solo tackles
Edged out Western Michigan at home in a shootout.
Ratings of the games shown run from -20 to -3 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
6%2 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
31tackles this seasonTFL rate
11%4 TFL31 tackles · 3.5 for loss · 1 sack · 2 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 4.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 9.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Jacobs
Pass share
47.3%
266 pass / 296 run
Plays / game
70.2
8 games
Team sack rate
2.1%
286 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #102 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #22 of 23 Mid-American Ss
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
The No. 2,054 recruit in the country is starting in the secondary in the Mid-American as a junior.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 21 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jason Candle → Mike Jacobs. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
CBS Sports College Football
