Senior safety on Missouri's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 215 lb · Flint, MI · Mountain View (Ga.)
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.
Recruiting
S recruit
No. 2495 nationally · Signed with Northern Illinois
Statement game16 tackles · 1 TFLvs Troy (FBS) · W 27-17
Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.
banner a pick 6 there would have been huge.r/CFB game thread · ▲ 1His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior safety on Missouri's 2026 roster.
How he projects
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Grades highest in speed and play recognition.
The full scouting readSantana Banner
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Thomas Hammock and Eli Drinkwitz. One game to point at: 16 tackles, 1 TFL against Troy — Week 3, 2026.
24 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Eli Drinkwitz.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Missouri | 24 | 12 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Missouri | 59 | 30 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Northern Illinois | 54 | 31 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 4 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 137 | 73 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | -- |
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 | W 54-14vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 38-21@ Kansas | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 27-17vs Troy | 16 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 16 tackles |
| Total | 24 | 12 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 54–14
2 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 40-point win at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
With A. Simmons — 252 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 96.8 · -2 rush yds (2 car) · B. Reus — 43.5 yards per punt · 2 punts · 1 inside the 20
Since week 2: +1 pass breakup, +16 tackles, +1 tackle for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: tackles (92nd percentile). Strength: passes defended (92nd 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
PD rate
8%2 pass breakupsTackle volume
24tackles this seasonTFL rate
4%1 TFL24 tackles · 1 for loss · 2 pass breakups.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 9.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 8.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Eli Drinkwitz
Pass share
42.3%
82 pass / 112 run
Plays / game
64.7
3 games
Team sack rate
2.3%
87 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #10 of 28 SEC Ss
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. 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.
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to McKinley Whitfield’s 2018 season.
Matches McKinley on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Dominic Tatum's junior season at Utah State (2021).
Matches Dominic on
Player DNA
2025: Played in all 13 games of the 2025 season and drew his first start as a Tiger on the road at No. 10 Vanderbilt … Made 59 tackles, including 30 solo stops and a TFL … Deflected three passes and recorded his second career interception against UMass … His 59 tackles were third most on the…
16 more on the roster · Missouri team page