Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-21@ UNLV | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 20-38@ Boise State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 45-21vs UT Martin | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#40
Trey McDonald
Senior linebacker for Memphis. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 235 lb · Chattanooga, TN · Baylor School
CFB Index 53 · #262 of 571 LBsHigh confidenceIn transfer portal — destination TBD (from Virginia)
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.
The numbers
7
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 5 tackles, vs UT Martin
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for Memphis. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Virginia in 2022.
Trey McDonald
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Tony Elliott and Charles Huff. One game to point at: 5 tackles against UT Martin — Week 3, 2026.
7 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.
2022
- Signed with Virginia3-star out of Baylor School
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 · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2025
Memphis
Coaching transition mid-career: Ryan Silverfield → Charles Huff. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
In Portal · 2026
In transfer portal
2025Virginia
DestinationTBD
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Trey McDonald'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 45–21
vs UT Martin
5 tackles · 3 solo tackles
Dominant 24-point win at home against UT Martin.
With M. Stokes — 258 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 80.4 · 2 rush yds (3 car) · J. Thompson — 110 rush yds (6 car) · 1 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +5 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Virginia3-9HC: Tony Elliott · Run-leaning
2024Virginia5-7HC: Tony Elliott · Balanced
2025Virginia11-3HC: Tony Elliott · Balanced
2026Memphis3-1HC: Charles Huff · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Concern: tackles (0th 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.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Charles Huff
Pass share
40.7%
101 pass / 147 run
Plays / game
62.0
4 games
Team sack rate
4.4%
114 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2024
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
53 · #262 of 571 LBs
Three-star recruit. Now #262 at the position.
How he plays
Play style
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
The No. 1,433 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the American Athletic as a senior.
DNA match
Player DNA
Sideline-to-Sideline
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
LB
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Yanni Karlaftis’s 2024 season.
Matches Yanni on
Solo tackle rate
Sack rate
TFL rate
Differs from Yanni on
Height (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Trevor Harmanson's sophomore season at UTSA (2021).
88%match
All-Conference USA
Matches Trevor on
Tackle volume
Solo tackle rate
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Trey McDonald
The linebacker corps · Memphis
- #9Michael Montgomery25 tackles · 2026
- #22Zach Ruffin25 tackles · 2026
- #25JJ Clayton10 tackles · 2026
- #40Trey McDonald7 tackles · 2026
- #41Tylon Nash2 tackles · 2026
9 more on the roster · Memphis team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology