USC · 2026

Desman Stephens II

LBJunior6' 3", 250 lbsClarkston, MI

USC Trojans7-2 · TDC #23

Snap share

71%

6 of 8 started · likely 59–85%

Tackles

277th of 5664 in FBS

Solo

Tackles for loss

4.5

295th of 2634 in FBS

Sacks

0.5

1127th of 1383 in FBS

Interceptions

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	15	379th / 3422
Sacks	1	—
Pass breakups	2	—
Interceptions	0	—
Forced fumbles	0	—
Tackles	44	—

Charting

Where II's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play

Passes defended

2 broken up · 0 intercepted

QB hurries

as the play text names the rusher

Tackles after a catch

9.6 yds per catch on those

YAC on those catches

7.4

yds after the catch before his tackle

Coverage plays

PBUs + INTs + tackles after a catch

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

3 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	USC#23 · 7-2	8	71%	45	4.5	0.5	0	2	6
2025	USC#13 · 9-4	13	87%	89	3	0	0	0	1
2024	USC#18 · 7-6	8	15%	13	1	0	1	0	2

Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Desman Stephens II's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.

Game Log

Desman Stephens II'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

6.5 avg. game scoreBest: 8.3 at Wisconsin (Week 8)1 of 8 games at 8.0+

				Defense
Wk	Opponent	Result	Game score	Tkl	Solo	TFL	Sacks	Hur	PD	INT	TD
1	San José State	W 42–26	6.0	2	2	1	0	0	0	·	·
1	Fresno State	W 39–0	5.2	3	1	0	0	0	0	·	·
2	Louisiana	W 49–30	5.9	5	3	0	0	0	0	·	·
3	@Rutgers	W 42–35	7.7	7	4	0.5	0.5	0	1	·	·
4	Oregon	L 27–41	5.1	2	2	0	0	0	0	·	·
5	Washington	W 25–21	—	no stats recorded
6	@Penn State	W 31–23	6.8	9	4	0.5	0	0	0	·	·
8	@Wisconsin	L 7–24	8.3	8	6	1.5	0	0	1	·	·
9	Ohio State	W 30–18	7.4	9	5	1	0	0	0	·	·
2026 · 8 games			6.5	45	27	4.5	0.5	0	2	·	·

2026 Season Stats

FBS rank among qualifying players

Defense	2026	FBS rank
Tackles	45	277th / 5664
Solo	27	—
Tackles for loss	4.5	295th / 2634
Sacks	0.5	1127th / 1383
QB hurries	0	—
Passes defended	2	471st / 1772
Defensive TD	0	—

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	Snap share
Wk 1 · San José State	✓ LB	56	~30 (3–54)	2	54%
Wk 1 · Fresno State	✓ LB	45	~27 (3–45)	3	60%
Wk 2 · Louisiana	✓ LB	52	~47 (24–52)	5	90%
Wk 3 · Rutgers	—	69	~66 (34–69)	8	96%
Wk 4 · Oregon	✓ LB	68	~26 (3–47)	2	38%
Wk 6 · Penn State	✓ LB	63	~63 (32–63)	9	100%
Wk 8 · Wisconsin	—	58	~57 (29–58)	9	98%
Wk 9 · Ohio State	✓ LB	81	~74 (38–81)	9	91%
Season	6 GS	552	390 (327–468)	47	71%

Position Room

13 LBs on the USC roster, ordered by tkl

#	Player	Pos	Class	Tkl	TFL	Sacks	INT	PD
17	Deven Bryant	LB	JR	55	0.5	0	—	1
8	Desman Stephens II	LB	JR	45	4.5	0.5	—	2
14	Ta'Mere Robinson	LB	JR	17	1	1	—	0
	Jadyn Walker	LB		11	0	0	—	0
22	Talanoa Ili	LB	FR	8	0	0	—	0
26	Elijah Newby	LB	SO	3	1	1	—	1
41	Ryan O'Connell	LB	SR	2	0	0	—	0
58	GianCarlo Rufo	LB	SR	2	0	0	—	0
24	Shaun Scott	LB	FR	—	—	—	—	—
46	Nick De Fina	LB	SR	—	—	—	—	—
47	Austin Engroff	LB	FR	—	—	—	—	—
50	Taylor Johnson	LB	FR	—	—	—	—	—
57	Roman Marchetti	LB	SR	—	—	—	—	—

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. USC depth chart →