Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 41-38vs Louisville | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 41-9vs Charlotte | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 32-24vs LSU | 8 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Total | 20 | 13 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#49
Tah'j Butler
Junior linebacker for Ole Miss. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 235 lb · New Orleans, LA · Edna Karr
CFB Index 44 · #342 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceTransferred Georgia Tech → Ole Miss for 2026
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
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
Solo tackles: 91st percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
20
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, vs Louisville
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior linebacker for Ole Miss. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Georgia Tech in 2024.
- Transferred from Georgia Tech to Ole Miss in 2026.
Tah'j Butler
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Brent Key and Pete Golding. The receipt: 8 tackles against LSU — Week 3, 2026.
20 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
5 programs, one constant: he played.
20249 games
- Signed with Georgia Tech3-star out of Edna Karr
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Ole Miss
2026era →
Pete Golding
Ole Miss
Coaching transition mid-career: Lane Kiffin → Pete Golding. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Ole Miss
2025Georgia Tech
2026Ole Miss
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ole Miss | 20 | 13 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Georgia Tech | 34 | 18 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Georgia Tech | 25 | 17 | 4.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 79 | 48 | 8.5 | 0.0 | 4 | 1 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Tah'j Butler'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 32–24
vs LSU
8 tackles · 1 hurries · 7 solo tackles
With T. Chambliss — 363 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 89.8 · 2 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD · O. Bird — 42 yards per punt · 2 punts · 49 long
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +8 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Georgia Tech7-6HC: Brent Key · Run-leaning
2025Georgia Tech9-4HC: Brent Key · Run-leaning
2026Ole Miss3-0HC: Pete Golding · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: solo tackles (91st percentile). Strength: tackles (82nd 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
20tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%1 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
5%1 pass breakups20 tackles · 1 for loss.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 6.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 6.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pete Golding
Pass share
57.6%
118 pass / 87 run
Plays / game
68.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.4%
127 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
The No. 1,475 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the SEC as a junior.
DNA match
Player DNA
Sideline-to-Sideline
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Reakwon Jones’s 2019 season.
Matches Reakwon on
Sack rate
PD rate
Weight
Differs from Reakwon on
Class year (lower)
Height (lower)
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).
83%match
Matches Carson on
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Weight
Differs from Carson on
PD rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Tah'j Butler
Background
2026 (JUNIOR): Transfer who arrived on campus in January and participated in spring drills. GEORGIA TECH: Appeared in all 26 games over the course of two seasons with the Yellow Jackets ... Played in all 13 games with two starts during the 2025 season, totaling 34 tackles, including three…
The linebacker corps · Ole Miss
- #11Keaton Thomas99 tackles · 2025
- #12Luke Ferrelli91 tackles · 2025
- #4Suntarine Perkins81 tackles · 2025
- #49Tah'j Butler34 tackles · 2025
- #44Tony Mitchell25 tackles · 2025
8 more on the roster · Ole Miss team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology