Junior safety on LSU's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 206 lb · Knightdale, NC · Rolesville HS
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. 990 nationally · Signed with Maryland
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior safety on LSU's 2026 roster.
Tamarcus Cooley
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Tamarcus Cooley has played for four head coaches across four seasons and three programs. The receipt: 5 tackles against Ole Miss — Week 3, 2026.
8 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
3 programs, one constant: he played.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Brian Kelly, Frank Wilson, and Lane Kiffin. Multi-era developmental context.
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 51-10vs Clemson | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 45-14vs Louisiana Tech | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 24-32@ Ole Miss | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 8 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 51–10
vs Clemson
1 tackles
Dominant 41-point win at home against Clemson.
With S. Leavitt — 230 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · 113 rush yds (12 car) · 2 TD · W. Watkins — 14 rush yds (1 car)
Since week 2: +1 pass breakup, +5 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: passes defended (92nd percentile). Concern: tackles (0th 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.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lane Kiffin
Pass share
41.9%
104 pass / 144 run
Plays / game
82.7
3 games
Team sack rate
6.1%
115 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, fast tempo.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #117 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-SEC
Based on 2025: #8 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
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Durante Jones’s 2023 season.
Matches Durante on
Differs from Durante on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Rashad Torrence II's junior season at Florida (2022).
Matches Rashad on
Player DNA
17 more on the roster · LSU team page