James Madison · W 24-21
7 tackles, 0.5 for loss
The other 7 games average 5 tackles. This one was 2 above.
TJ Thompson
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for two head coaches in three seasons at Troy. One game to point at: 7 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against James Madison — Week 9, 2026.
42 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
42 tackles. 1 pass defended. 1 interception. 2.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
NJ.com Oct 22Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 7 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-21vs Sam Houston | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 34-17vs Alabama State | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-27@ No. 20 Missouri | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 10-21@ Utah State | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 55-34vs Southern Miss | 4 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 6-33@ Louisiana | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 14-21vs UL Monroe | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 24-21@ James Madison | 7 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Total | 42 | 12 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
Oct. 29 · W 24-21 at James Madison, play by play
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 2 tackles for loss, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Troy’s defense played that day
James Madison’s 16 drives: 13 stopped (5 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 8 of 11.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 6 for him; the box score credits 5.
4 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 7 for him; the box score credits 6.
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 interception. His interception ended Sam Houston’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 4 of his 5, sacks included.
Intercepted. Third quarter, tied 14-14. Ended Sam Houston’s drive (int).
Week 9 · 2026
W 24-21
0.5 tackles for loss · 7 tackles · 2 solo tackles
A close one, won by 3 on the road.
Ratings of the games shown run from -24 to +14 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
42tackles this seasonTFL rate
6%2 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
2%1 pass breakups42 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 5.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 5.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 6.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Gerad Parker
Pass share
41.1%
230 pass / 329 run
Plays / game
69.9
8 games
Team sack rate
7.5%
265 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Two-star recruit. Now #236 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Sun Belt
Based on 2025: #33 of 63 Sun Belt LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 28 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jon Sumrall → Gerad Parker. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
