Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 17-3vs Tulane | 6 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-27@ Illinois | 9 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 35-7vs Stanford | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#7
Nick Morris Jr.
Senior linebacker for Duke. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 235 lb · Austin, TX · Westlake [Texas]
CFB Index 37 · #398 of 577 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
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Tackles: 82nd percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
20
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 9 tackles, at Illinois
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Duke. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Duke in 2021.
- 18 tackles in 2025. Then 20 in 2026.
Nick Morris Jr.
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Five seasons at Duke, three different head coaches: Mike Elko, Trooper Taylor and Manny Diaz. One game to point at: 9 tackles against Illinois — Week 2, 2026.
20 TACKLES · 0 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.
2021
- Signed with Duke3-star out of Austin Westlake
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Duke
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Mike Elko, Trooper Taylor, and Manny Diaz. Multi-era developmental context.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Nick Morris Jr.'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 2 · 2026
W 31–27
at Illinois
9 tackles · 5 solo tackles
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 4 on the road.
With W. Eget — 206 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 75.9 · -2 rush yds (1 car) · N. Sheppard — 147 rush yds (24 car) · 1 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +5 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2022Duke9-4HC: Mike Elko · Run-leaning
2023Duke8-5HC: Trooper Taylor · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2024Duke9-4HC: Manny Diaz · Pass-leaning
2025Duke9-5HC: Manny Diaz · Balanced
2026Duke3-0HC: Manny Diaz · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: tackles (82nd percentile). Concern: passes defended (28th percentile).
Box-score production (7)
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
20tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%0 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups20 tackles · 0 for loss.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 5.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 9.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 6.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Manny Diaz
Pass share
36.5%
73 pass / 127 run
Plays / game
66.7
3 games
Team sack rate
2.5%
79 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Johnny Ragin III’s 2016 season.
Matches Johnny on
Sack rate
Height
PD rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Andrew Mata'afa's graduate season at South Florida (2023).
Matches Andrew on
TFL rate
Solo tackle rate
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like Nick Morris Jr.
Background
2026 ACCOLADES Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 Shriners Children's East-West Bowl 1,000 Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List 2026: Returning linebacker ... 2023 Academic All-ACC and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree … in 24 career games (10 starts), has recorded 93…
The linebacker corps · Duke
- #34Luke Mergott91 tackles · 2025
- #42Kendall Johnson37 tackles · 2025
- #7Nick Morris Jr.18 tackles · 2025
- #31Elliott Schaper16 tackles · 2025
- #24Bradley Gompers14 tackles · 2025
6 more on the roster · Duke team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology