Ryan Yaites
Ryan Yaites
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Three head coaches in three seasons, at three different programs. One game to point at: 1 tackles against West Virginia — Week 9, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Sonny Dykes.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sonny Dykes
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR03 · Backup
Spot duty on defense. Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TCU | 3 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | California | 15 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | LSU | 16 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 34 | 17 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
TCU
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · TCU
Returning around him
- 3 TCU players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (12 in / 14 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
TCU · Last season: 9-4 (AP #24) · Talent rank #32 · 2026 recruiting class #47
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
His 2024 production profile sits closest to D'Angelo Mandell’s 2022 season.
Matches D'Angelo on
Differs from D'Angelo on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kaleb Patterson's sophomore season at Illinois (2025).
Matches Kaleb on
Background
AT TCU 2025 | JUNIOR (12/0) Played in 12 games, primarily on special teams … had one tackle against North Carolina, Arizona State and West Virginia. AT CAL 2024 | SOPHOMORE (12/0) Played in 12 games ... recorded 16 tackles, one pass defended and a half sack … registered one tackle in Cal debut ag...