Graduate safety for South Florida. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 197 lb · Fort Myers, FL · North Fort Myers 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.
How he plays
Moves between deep coverage and the slot.
Solo tackles: 69th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
interception · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 INT, 5 tackles, vs Florida International
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Graduate safety for South Florida. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Tavin Ward
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Tavin Ward has played for three head coaches in four seasons at South Florida. One game to point at: 6 tackles against Army — Week 2, 2026.
16 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Alex Golesh, Kevin Patrick, and Brian Hartline. Multi-era developmental context.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | South Florida | 16 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | South Florida | 60 | 33 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | South Florida | 61 | 41 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 | -- |
| 2023 | South Florida | 38 | 26 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 175 | 109 | 7.5 | 0.0 | 13 | 7 | -- |
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 19-9vs Florida International | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 28-24@ Army | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 59-17vs Delaware State | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 59–17
1 tackles for loss · 5 tackles · 4 solo tackles
Dominant 42-point win at home against Delaware State.
With M. Van Buren Jr. — 300 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 48.7 · D. Crowther — 101 rush yds (8 car) · 3 TD
Since week 2: +5 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
Concern: passes defended (28th 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
0%0 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
16tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%1 TFL16 tackles · 1 for loss · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 6.0 | 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
Brian Hartline
Pass share
47.7%
83 pass / 91 run
Plays / game
58.0
3 games
Team sack rate
2.3%
86 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-AAC
Based on 2025: #13 of 38 American Athletic Ss
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. 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 Brad Stewart’s 2019 season.
Matches Brad on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Jahari Rogers's senior season at SMU (2023).
Matches Jahari on
Player DNA
HONORS 2026 PFN Preseason Second Team All-Conference 2025 Phil Steele Preseason All-Conference Second Team 2026: A preseason PFN Second Team All-Conference selection. 2025: Started 10 games at safety and appeared in 11...ranked third on the team with 60 tackles and added 1.5 tackles for loss…
19 more on the roster · South Florida team page