Senior defensive lineman for Mississippi State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 295 lb · Cincinnati, OH · Winton Woods HS (Coastal Carolina)
How he plays
Disrupts the pocket from the interior.
QB hurries: 93rd percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
sack · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 sacks, 1 TFL, 3 tackles, at South Carolina
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive lineman for Mississippi State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Will Whitson
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Will Whitson has played for two head coaches across three seasons and two programs. SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week in 2025 made it two straight seasons on the honors list. One game to point at: 6 tackles, 0.5 TFL against UL Monroe — Week 1, 2026.
12 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SUN BELT
All-Sun Belt mention (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Jeff Lebby.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mississippi State | 12 | 6 | 2.5 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Mississippi State | 8 | 4 | 4.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Coastal Carolina | 20 | 10 | 3.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 40 | 20 | 10.5 | 5.0 | -- | -- | -- |
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 62-13vs UL Monroe | 6 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 38-13@ Minnesota | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-34@ South Carolina | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 6 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 41–34
1 sacks · 1 tackles for loss · 3 tackles
Edged out South Carolina on the road in a shootout.
With K. Taylor — 251 yds · 4 TD · 1 INT · QBR 87.9 · 33 rush yds (8 car) · F. Bothwell — 115 rush yds (21 car)
Since week 2: +1 sack, +1 tackle for loss, +3 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (93rd percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (87th percentile). 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
TFL rate
21%2 TFLSack rate
8%1 sacksHurry rate
17%2 hurries12 tackles · 2 for loss · 1 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 6.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 4.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Pass share
44.6%
91 pass / 113 run
Plays / game
68.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.8%
105 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Braden Fiske’s 2022 season.
Matches Braden on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Kahlil Saunders's junior season at Kentucky (2023).
Matches Kahlil on
Differs from Kahlil on
Player DNA
Career Honors 2025 SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (Wk 1 at Southern Miss) 2025 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 Watch List 2025 Shrine Bowl 1000 Career Notes Played in 19 career games with 14 starts … Transferred to Mississippi State from Coastal Carolina ahead of the 2025 season … Following the…
14 more on the roster · Mississippi State team page