Senior defensive end for Buffalo. 2021: 4 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 23 tackles.
6′2″ · 250 lb · Webster, NY
Recruiting
OLB recruit
No. 1499 nationally · Signed with Massachusetts
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive end for Buffalo. 2021: 4 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 23 tackles.
Taylor Riggins
Wins the corner before the tackle can set. Three seasons at Buffalo, two different head coaches: Lance Leipold and Maurice Linguist. 2021 brought the first one: MAC Defensive Player of the Week. One game to point at: 4 tackles against Western Michigan — Week 5, 2021.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Three seasons at Buffalo, 17 sacks — his college career is complete.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2018–2021
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Lance Leipold → Maurice Linguist. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (91st percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (87th percentile). Concern: passes defended (19th 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
2021 season · 5 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 5.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 4.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pete Lembo
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2021
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2021
W 69–7
vs Wagner
6 TOT · 3 SOLO · 2 SACKS
Dominant 62-point win at home against Wagner.
With K. Vantrease — 231 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 88.5 · 4 rush yds (1 car) · R. Cook Jr. — 94 rush yds (14 car) · 1 TD
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 5 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 69-7vs Wagner | 6 | 3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 sacks |
| Wk 2 | L 3-28@ Nebraska | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 25-28vs Coastal Carolina | 7 | 7 | 3.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 5 | L 17-24vs Western Michigan | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 38-48@ Kent State | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 13 | 7.0 | 4.0 | — | 0 |
Play style
Bends the edge and wins with first-step quickness. Lighter frame, relentless motor.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Bends the edge and wins with first-step quickness. Lighter frame, relentless motor.
His 2021 production profile sits closest to D'Andre Ragin’s 2021 season.
Matches D'Andre on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Bryton Thompson's junior season at UTEP (2022).
Matches Bryton on
Player DNA