Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 6 | 324th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 4 | 322nd / 2112 |
| Run stops | 7 | 1263rd / 3422 |
| Sacks | 2 | — |
| Pass breakups | 2 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 12 | — |
Charting
Where Jr.'s plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
Career
2 seasons since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far |  Kansas State#44 · 4-4 | 8 | 33% | 14 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 2025 | Kansas State#47 · 6-6 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Darien Whitaker Jr.'s team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Darien Whitaker Jr.'s box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 |  Nicholls | W 71–3 | 8.1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 |  Washington State | W 34–7 | 7.6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 |  Tulane | W 31–20 | 8.1 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 4 | @ Cincinnati | L 26–31 | 5.6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 |  Houston | L 16–35 | 2.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 |  Kansas | W 35–24 | 5.4 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 8 | @ Arizona State | L 17–28 | 5.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 9 | @ Colorado | L 24–27 | 5.1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 6.0 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 14 | 1856th / 5664 |
| Solo | 10 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 5 | 229th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 2.5 | 229th / 1383 |
| QB hurries | 0 | — |
| Passes defended | 2 | 471st / 1772 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
| Fumbles | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Fumbles | 0 | — |
| Lost | 0 | — |
| Recovered | 2 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Nicholls | — | 58 | ~28 (3–51) | 2 | · | 48% |
| Wk 2 · Washington State | — | 52 | ~18 (2–33) | 2 | · | 35% |
| Wk 3 · Tulane | ✓ LB | 59 | ~36 (4–59) | 4 | · | 61% |
| Wk 4 · Cincinnati | ✓ LB | 52 | ~5 (0–29) | 1 | 2 | 10% |
| Wk 6 · Houston | — | 74 | ~· | 1 | · | 0% |
| Wk 7 · Kansas | ✓ LB | 60 | ~28 (3–51) | 2 | · | 47% |
| Wk 8 · Arizona State | — | 71 | ~26 (3–47) | 2 | · | 37% |
| Wk 9 · Colorado | — | 64 | ~23 (2–42) | 2 | · | 36% |
| Season | 3 GS | 490 | 164 (77–224) | 16 | 2 | 33% |
Position Room
10 LBs on the Kansas State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Mekhi Mason | LB | SR | 38 | 2.5 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 35 | Gabe Powers | LB | SR | 34 | 4.5 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Rex Van Wyhe | LB | 26 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| Darien Whitaker Jr. | LB | 14 | 5 | 2.5 | — | 2 | ||
| 23 | Asa Newsom | LB | SR | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 26 | Sawyer Schilke | LB | SO | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 16 | DJ Ackerson Jr. | LB | FR | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 44 | Weston Polk | LB | SO | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 41 | Ashton Moore | LB | SO | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 20 | Jacobi Oliphant Jr. | LB | JR | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Kansas State depth chart →