Senior safety on LSU's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 208 lb · Altadena, CA · Crean Lutheran 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.
On production he ranks #36 of 544 safeties; on reputation he is on a national watch list. The gap between those two numbers is the story.
Recruiting
ATH recruit
No. 982 nationally · Signed with Boise State
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior safety on LSU's 2026 roster.
Ty Benefield
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Ty Benefield has played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. He has been named Preseason All-America (Associated Press) three seasons running, most recently in 2026. The receipt: 5 tackles, 1 sacks against Ole Miss — Week 3, 2026.
11 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-AMERICA
All-America honors (2026)
1 mentions across the selector pool
ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST · 1ST TEAM
All-Mountain West 1st team (2025)
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Brian Kelly, Frank Wilson, and Lane Kiffin. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to LSU
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | LSU | 11 | 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Boise State | 105 | 69 | 8.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Boise State | 82 | 59 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | Boise State | 43 | 31 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 5 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 241 | 165 | 19.0 | 4.0 | 12 | 5 | -- |
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 | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 45-14vs Louisiana Tech | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 24-32@ Ole Miss | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 11 | 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 51–10
vs Clemson
3 tackles · 1 pass breakups · 1 solo 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: +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
Elite: sacks (84th percentile). Concern: tackles (22nd 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 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
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 · 2026
In the All-America conversation, short of a selector's first team.
Selector Grid · 2026
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 Darius Joiner’s 2022 season.
Matches Darius on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Maverick Baranowski's junior season at Minnesota (2025).
Matches Maverick on
Differs from Maverick on
Player DNA
17 more on the roster · LSU team page