Senior linebacker for Kent State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 245 lb · Philadelphia, PA · St. Joseph Prep
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.
Sacks: 96th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sacks, at South Carolina
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Kent State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Rocco Nicholl
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Four head coaches in five seasons, at two different programs. The receipt: 7 tackles, 1 sacks against South Carolina — Week 1, 2026.
16 TACKLES · 2 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
6 programs, one constant: he played.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Sean Lewis, Kenni Burns, and Mark Carney. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Kent State
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kent State | 16 | 10 | 2.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | South Florida | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Kent State | 61 | 30 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Kent State | 17 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Kent State | 8 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 109 | 55 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
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 | L 0-57@ South Carolina | 7 | 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 36-15vs Wofford | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 3-59@ Ohio State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 10 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 36–15
vs Wofford
1 sacks · 1 tackles for loss · 6 tackles
Dominant 21-point win at home against Wofford.
With D. DeShields — 248 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 67.4 · 74 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · D. Clark — 5 rec · 90 yds
Since week 2: +3 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (96th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (80th percentile). Concern: passes defended (28th 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
Tackle volume
16tackles this seasonTFL rate
12%2 TFLSack rate
12%2 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups16 tackles · 2 for loss · 2 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 6.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mark Carney
Pass share
41.4%
72 pass / 102 run
Plays / game
58.0
3 games
Team sack rate
2.6%
78 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
The No. 2,000 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Mid-American as a senior.
Player DNA
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Robert Beal Jr.’s 2022 season.
Matches Robert on
Differs from Robert on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Derrick McLendon II's graduate season at Colorado (2023).
Matches Derrick on
Differs from Derrick on
Player DNA
2026 (Graduate) Phil Steele Preseason All-MAC Second Team Athlon Sports Preseason All-MAC Second Team 2025 (Senior at South Florida) Saw action in four games, redshirted Recorded seven tackles 2024 (Junior at Kent State) Started 7 of 8 games played for the Golden Flashes Had 30 solo tackles and…
7 more on the roster · Kent State team page