Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 38-41@ Ole Miss | 7 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 59-13vs Villanova | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-31vs SMU | 7 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#11
T.J. Capers
Junior linebacker for Louisville. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 225 lb · Miami, FL · Columbus
CFB Index 42 · #359 of 583 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.
QB hurries: 79th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
16
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 7 tackles, 1 TFL, vs SMU
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior linebacker for Louisville. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Louisville in 2023.
T.J. Capers
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. This is his third year in the same linebacker corps at Louisville. The receipt: 7 tackles, 1 TFL against SMU — Week 3, 2026.
16 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2023
- Signed with Louisville4-star out of Miami Columbus
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Louisville
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Louisville
Played his entire career under Jeff Brohm.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Louisville | 16 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Louisville | 46 | 23 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Louisville | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| Career | 69 | 38 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
T.J. Capers'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 3 · 2026
W 41–31
vs SMU
1 tackles for loss · 7 tackles · 6 solo tackles
Edged out SMU at home in a shootout.
With L. Kienholz — 177 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 64.8 · 42 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD · N. Hayes — 37.2 yards per punt · 6 punts · 1 inside the 20
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +7 tackles, +1 tackle for loss.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Jeff Brohm — 20-9 over that span.
2024Louisville9-4HC: Jeff Brohm · Balanced
2025Louisville9-4HC: Jeff Brohm · Balanced
2026Louisville2-1HC: Jeff Brohm · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Concern: passes defended (28th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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
16tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%1 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups16 tackles · 1 for loss.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Brohm
Pass share
42.0%
79 pass / 109 run
Plays / game
62.7
3 games
Team sack rate
4.4%
90 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #46 of 74 ACC LBs
How the All-ACC estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. 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.
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 Jeremi Powell’s 2016 season.
Matches Jeremi on
TFL rate
Tackle volume
PD rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Carson Willich's junior season at Iowa State (2025).
Matches Carson on
Class year
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like T.J. Capers
Background
PRONUNCIATION 2025: Appeared in 13 games, making seven starts .. finished the season with 46 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss ... recorded a pair of tackles in the opener against Eastern Kentucky ... had a career-best three stops against James Madison ... set a career high with five tackles in…
The linebacker corps · Louisville
- #12Kalib Perry55 tackles · 2025
- #11T.J. Capers46 tackles · 2025
- #6Stanquan Clark19 tackles · 2025
- #43Trent Carter2 tackles · 2025
- #36Jacob Smith1 tackle · 2025
5 more on the roster · Louisville team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology