Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 2 | 1455th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1269th / 2112 |
| Run stops | 16 | 329th / 3422 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 1 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 33 | — |
Charting
Where Lightsey'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
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 |  Georgia Tech#78 · 2-6 | 8 | 52% | 34 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 | Georgia Tech#38 · 9-4 | 12 | 73% | 76 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2024 | Georgia Tech#44 · 7-6 | 9 | 15% | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. E.J. Lightsey's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
E.J. Lightsey'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 |  Colorado | L 13–14 | 6.7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 |  Tennessee | L 24–45 | 6.8 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 |  Mercer | W 44–11 | 5.6 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 | @ Stanford | L 27–34 | 5.4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 |  Duke | W 28–25 | 6.8 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 7 | @ Virginia Tech | L 24–34 | 5.6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 8 |  Boston College | L 27–49 | 4.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 9 | @ Pittsburgh | L 11–34 | 4.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 5.6 | 34 | 18 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 34 | 537th / 5664 |
| Solo | 18 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 1.5 | 1272nd / 2634 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 1 | 780th / 1549 |
| Passes defended | 1 | 898th / 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 · Colorado | — | 75 | ~59 (30–69) | 5 | 79% |
| Wk 2 · Tennessee | — | 66 | ~65 (33–66) | 11 | 98% |
| Wk 3 · Mercer | ✓ LB | 60 | ~27 (3–49) | 3 | 45% |
| Wk 4 · Stanford | ✓ LB | 72 | ~16 (2–29) | 2 | 22% |
| Wk 6 · Duke | — | 76 | ~68 (35–76) | 7 | 89% |
| Wk 7 · Virginia Tech | — | 63 | ~53 (27–62) | 4 | 84% |
| Wk 8 · Boston College | — | 64 | ~4 (0–23) | 1 | 6% |
| Wk 9 · Pittsburgh | — | 88 | ~· | 1 | 0% |
| Season | 2 GS | 564 | 292 (136–399) | 34 | 52% |
Position Room
7 LBs on the Georgia Tech roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cayman Spaulding | LB | SR | 34 | 7 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 2 | E.J. Lightsey | LB | SR | 34 | 1.5 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 44 | Kyle Efford | LB | SR | 27 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 0 | Melvin Jordan IV | LB | SR | 20 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 35 | Braylon Outlaw | LB | FR | 18 | 2.5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 34 | C.J. Gamble | LB | FR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Lawson Pritchett | LB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
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. Georgia Tech depth chart →